Pregnant Woman Dead, 30 People Missing and Presumed Drowned After Boat Sinks in Mediterranean Sea

MSF Sea/Twitter Médecins Sans Frontières’ (MSF) search and rescue team responded to shipwreck in the central Mediterranean Sea

A pregnant woman died and at least 30 people have been reported missing, including a number of children, after a rubber boat partially sank in the Mediterranean Sea, according to Doctors Without Borders (MSF).

Their search and rescue team was able to save 71 individuals after arriving on the scene Monday, the humanitarian group said in a press release. Those who survived were "severely traumatized and shocked," MSF wrote on Twitter alongside photos of the migrant rescue operation.

The team brought a pregnant woman on board, but she "did not survive despite extensive resuscitation efforts by the medical team," they wrote in the press release. They went on to share that three other individuals, including a 4-month-old baby, were in need of emergency care.

Initially, the group said that 22 people were missing and presumed dead, but as of Wednesday morning, the number rose to at least 30. MSF shared on Twitter that the group reported missing includes five women and eight children — three of whom are just 1-year-old babies.

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By the time MSF's search and rescue vessel arrived on the scene, three hours had elapsed and many passengers were already in the water, struggling to survive, the group said.

"What we faced yesterday was our worst nightmare coming true," Riccardo Gatti, search and rescue team leader, said in a statement. "The boat was sinking with dozens of people trapped."

"I am a good swimmer and I went to help people," one of the survivors, a 17-year-old from Togo, recounted to MSF. "I heard the woman (who died) crying in the water but she wasn't able to hold on the boat."

"We have seen so many people drowning - men, women and children - and we will never forget the day we had yesterday. We tried to save them but we couldn't save them all," shared another 17-year-old survivor from Cameroon.

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In addition to grieving their loved ones, a number of survivors are in need of medical attention.

"The survivors are exhausted; many have ingested large amounts of seawater and multiple people suffered from hypothermia after spending many hours in the water," Stephanie Hofstetter, MSF medical team leader on board, said in a statement.

Added Hofstetter, "At least 10 people, mostly women, are suffering from medium to severe fuel burns and need further treatment beyond what can be delivered on board."

MSF Sea/Twitter Médecins Sans Frontières’ (MSF) search and rescue team responded to shipwreck in the central Mediterranean Sea

Since 2014, there have been over 24,000 missing migrants reported in the central Mediterranean, according to the International Organization for Migration. They went on to call the region the "deadliest known migration route in the world," partly due to "gaps in search-and-rescue capacity and restrictions on the life-saving work of NGOs."

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"Tragedies at sea continue to cost thousands of lives, and these people are being lost on Europe's doorstep, with absolute silence and indifference from EU states," Juan Matias Gil, MSF search and rescue representative, said in a statement.

"Search and rescue organisations cannot fill this huge void alone. We do not have such capacity, and beyond that, this is the responsibility of governments," added Gil. "What happened yesterday showed that alone, we cannot do enough."

MSF said their rescue vessel is headed to Italy and they are urging authorities to allow for a safe place where the survivors can disembark as soon as possible.