A migrant boat carrying 45 people, including three children, capsized in the Mediterranean sea last week, resulting in the death of 41 passengers, according to survivors who reached the Italian island of Lampedusa on Wednesday.
The boat had departed from Tunisia’s Sfax and was heading to Italy when it sank after a few hours in the water.
The survivors, who were rescued by a fishing vessel, told local Italian media that they had witnessed their fellow travelers drown or be eaten by sharks.
The incident has been described as “the worst ever tragedy” in the Mediterranean.
The Mediterranean sea has been the scene of many migrant disasters in recent years, as tens of thousands of people risk their lives on overcrowded and unsafe boats to reach Europe