Two children die in Mediterranean shipwreck, 17 rescued, NGO says

The handout image released by the German NGO Sea Punks shows an Italian Coast Guard vessel conducts a rescue operation as they tow a boat carrying migrants in the Mediterranean Sea on January 26, 2025. (Sea Punks)
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Updated 26 January 2025
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Two children die in Mediterranean shipwreck, 17 rescued, NGO says

  • The rescue took place in the early hours of Sunday morning in the Maltese Search and Rescue area
  • Survivors told rescuers that the boat set off with 21 people, while two passengers were still missing

MILAN: Seventeen migrants were rescued after a shipwreck in the Mediterranean, while two children died, the German NGO Sea Punks said on Sunday.
The rescue took place in the early hours of Sunday morning in the Maltese Search and Rescue (SAR) area, Sea Punks said in a statement.
One child was recovered deceased, while the Sea Punks crew medical team performed a cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on two other children, saving one’s life.
A Maltese rescue helicopter evacuated a pregnant woman and a seriously injured man, while an Italian coast guard vessel picked up the other 15 survivors and the bodies of the two children.
Survivors told rescuers that the boat set off with 21 people, Sea Punks added, leaving two missing.
Earlier, Italian news agency ANSA reported that 15 migrants had been rescued and three were found dead, with three others still missing.


UK starts visa requirements for St. Lucians

Updated 05 March 2026
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UK starts visa requirements for St. Lucians

  • Saint Lucia’s government said it was actively engaging with British government
  • It said it would continue talks to “explore pathways for maintaining strong mobility arrangements“

CASTRIES: Britain has introduced a visa requirement for Saint Lucians effective from Thursday citing a “notable increase” in nationals from the small Caribbean nation claiming asylum, Saint Lucia’s government said in a statement.
Immigration is one of Britain’s most politically sensitive issues, and Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government has sought to show it is tightening the system as the ⁠populist Reform UK party ⁠gains ground in opinion polls.
Saint Lucia, a former British colony, has a population of about 180,000. Last year, the World Bank estimated a net emigration of just 23 ⁠people.
Its government said it was actively engaging with British government and would continue talks to “explore pathways for maintaining strong mobility arrangements.”
It said it was informed in a letter dated Wednesday.
Saint Lucia is a member of the Commonwealth, an association of mostly former British colonies. Before the 1970s, nationals of many of ⁠these ⁠had the right to live and work in the UK. Saint Lucians previously needed a 16 pound Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) to travel to the UK. \

There will be a six-week transition for ETA holders, its government said.
On Tuesday, Britain said it would block study visas for Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan and halt work visas for Afghans.