Two dead, one missing in migrant shipwreck off Siracusa

(ANSA) - ROME, AUG 4 - Two migrants died on Sunday after being rescued by coast guards who intervened to aid a boat in distress some 17 miles of the coast of Siracusa, Sicily.
    The boat was carrying Syrian, Egyptian and Bangladeshi nationals.
    Overall, coast guards rescued 34 people, including a woman who died after reaching the port, and a second who died in hospital.
    Search operations are ongoing to find a missing passenger.
    Meanwhile on Sunday, 21 migrants, including 19 men from Bangladesh and one from Egypt, reached the port of Pozzallo, Sicily.
    They were taken by local authorities to the port's hotspot which is currently hosting 296 people.
    Overall, according to interior ministry figures released on Friday, as of August 2 the number of migrant landings halved in 2024 with 33,896 people (including 4,188 unaccompanied minors), reaching the country's coasts, compared to 89,401 who landed over the same period in 2023.
    The majority of new arrivals hailed from Bangladesh (7,126), Syria (5,149) and Tunisia (4,201). (ANSA).