A five-month-old infant drowned while his mother and 45 other migrants attempted to cross the Mediterranean en route to Lampedusa, Italy.

According to Italian reports referencing the coastguard, the migrants were aboard an Italy-bound vessel when the heart-wrenching incident unfolded.

The infant slipped into the water on Tuesday night during a chaotic attempt by the coastguard to transfer 46 migrants from the boat to the shore.

While others also ended up in the water, they managed to survive, but sadly, help arrived too late for the child.

The infant belonged to a family from Guinea, and his mother was a minor.

Authorities are providing her with psychological support.

She was travelling on a vessel from Sfax, Tunisia, approximately 190 kilometres from Lampedusa, the nearest point of entry to Europe for many migrants fleeing war and poverty.

On Tuesday alone, a record-breaking 2,500 individuals arrived on the Italian island, marking a new high for daily landings.

Throughout the day, there were long queues of small metal boats waiting to dock at the harbour pier.

Lampedusa’s initial reception centre, with a capacity for just 400 people, is once again overwhelmed.

Currently, approximately 6,800 migrants are in Lampedusa and are scheduled for relocation to mainland Italy.

Italy’s Migration Ministry reports that over 118,000 people have entered the country via the Mediterranean Sea since the year began, a significant increase from the previous year’s mid-September figure of 64,000.

These journeys have often been perilous, marked by accidents and fatalities due to unseaworthy vessels, overcrowding, and hazardous conditions.

(dpa/NAN)