Up to 1,000 migrants may have gone missing in the central Mediterranean during extreme weather conditions caused by Cyclone Harry in mid-January, according to the Italian NGO Mediterranea Saving Humans.
The NGO said testimonies collected by Refugees in Libya and Tunisia point to what could be one of the deadliest tragedies on the central Mediterranean migration route in recent years, accusing Italian and Maltese authorities of a lack of information and rescue efforts.
"The contours of the greatest tragedy in recent years are taking shape along the central Mediterranean routes, and the governments of Italy and Malta remain silent and do nothing," Laura Marmorale, president of Mediterranea Saving Humans, said in a statement on Monday.
According to official information transmitted via satellite telecommunications company Inmarsat messages by Rome's Maritime Rescue Coordination Center, at least 380 people were reported missing at sea as of January 24.
The alert covered eight separate search and rescue cases involving boats that departed from the Tunisian city of Sfax between January 14 and January 21. Those boats reportedly carried a total of around 380 migrants, including women and children.
As of January 24, none of the vessels had been located, and no confirmed rescues had been reported, according to the NGO.
The departures coincided with severe weather conditions in the central Mediterranean, including waves exceeding 7 meters (22 feet) and wind gusts of more than 54 knots, attributed to Cyclone Harry.
The group said these were among the most dangerous maritime conditions recorded in the area in the past two decades.
No further official communications have been issued by European maritime authorities since then, the NGO added.
Testimonies collected among migrant communities in Tunisia suggest that, from January 15 onward, several convoys departed from different coastal areas amid increased pressure from Tunisian security forces in informal camps near Sfax and a reported easing of beach controls.
According to these accounts, multiple boats never returned, and relatives of those on board have received no information.
The NGO said one smuggler allegedly sent five convoys carrying between 50 and 55 people each, while community sources reported dozens of boats departing from various coastal points south of Sfax.
Only one boat reportedly reached Lampedusa on January 22, carrying a deceased person on board, while 1-year-old twins were reported missing at sea. Other boats are believed to have disappeared.
The group also reported that Maltese authorities have recovered dozens of bodies at sea in recent days.
