In the unfeeling expanse of the Mediterranean Sea, a familiar tragedy with a chilling new statistic has unfolded. A vessel carrying migrants away from Libya's shores and toward European hopes vanished beneath the waves, leaving behind a staggering toll: an estimated 116 lives lost. The sole, haunting survivor of the shipwreck, rescued by a passing Tunisian fishing boat, now carries the memory of the entire disaster.
The incident, which maritime monitors report occurred on December 18, began like so many other desperate journeys. Sometime after departing the North African coast, a vessel thought to be carrying 117 people issued a distress call. The alert triggered a search by monitoring aircraft from the humanitarian organization Sea Watch, but their plane, the *Seabird*, scoured the assigned coordinates only to find an empty sea.
The failure to locate the boat instantly confirmed the worst fears of aid groups and coast guards who monitor this perilous migration route. The Mediterranean, particularly the central corridor between Libya and Italy, has long been one of the world's deadliest border crossings. This latest sinking adds another grim entry to the annual toll of the nameless who disappear in these waters, a stark reminder of the human cost of political impasse and the relentless pursuit of refuge.
The survivor, whose current condition is unknown, was transported to a hospital. Their testimony will be critical in piecing together the final moments of the journey and identifying the victims, but for now, the sea holds its secrets and the community of humanitarian responders is left to count a devastating, silent loss.
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