In the First Six Months of 2026, 1,300 People Have Died by Drowning in the Mediterranean

Angelo Bonelli, an AVS deputy and co-spokesman for Europa Verde, accused the Italian government of hypocrisy, saying that blocking rescues of people at sea is a crime against humanity. His remarks came after the Sea Watch rescue ship was seized and fined 7,500 euros for saving six migrants and a child in the Mediterranean. "In Rimini, the right listens to the Pope and applauds when he says that people matter more than borders." But while those words were being spoken, Minister Piantedosi was seizing the Sea Watch, fining it 7,500 euros, guilty of having saved six migrants and a child at sea, Bonelli said.

He noted that this happened the day after 15 people drowned when a boat sank in the Mediterranean. In the first six months of 2026, 1,300 people have died by drowning in the Mediterranean. Landings are decreasing and deaths are increasing: it is proof that the policies of this government and of this inhuman Europe have turned the Mediterranean into a cemetery, Bonelli added.