Aid Group Refutes Claims of Kurds, Iraqis on Missing Yacht
The Summit Foundation, a refugee aid group, says claims of Kurds and Iraqis being on a yacht missing in the Mediterranean are baseless. The foundation is working to identify the 70+ passengers while noting a recent decrease in illegal migration from the region.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The head of a prominent refugee and displaced persons foundation has moved to quell circulating reports that Iraqi citizens and Kurds were among the more than 70 passengers on a yacht that has gone missing in the Mediterranean Sea, stating that such claims are currently unconfirmed and baseless.
On Sunday, August 10, 2025, Ari Jalal, head of the Summit Foundation For Refugee and Displaced Affairs (S.F.R.D.A.), also known as 'Lutka' in Kurdish, told the Kurdistan24 website that his organization is actively investigating the matter but has found no evidence to support the widespread rumors.
“Since yesterday, news has circulated on social media and in some media channels about the disappearance of more than 70 people from a yacht in the Mediterranean Sea, claiming that some of these citizens are Iraqis and that there are Kurds among them,” Jalal stated. “However, this news is untrue, and as of now, their identities are not known.”
Jalal emphasized that the foundation is working through its official channels to ascertain the facts of the situation. “We are in contact with our representatives in Greece to determine the identities of the passengers on the yacht,” he explained. “So far, we have not received any credible information that there were Iraqi citizens or ethnic Kurds on board. While it is said there were Kurds among them, this is not true. These reports are baseless and have not been confirmed by us.”
The head of the foundation also provided a broader context on migration trends from the region, noting that there has been a significant decrease in illegal migration to Europe. He pointed to official figures from the Kurdistan Region's Ministry of Interior, stating that between 2023 and 2024, more than 7,950 families and youths have returned from abroad.
This incident, regardless of the final determination of the passengers’ nationalities, serves as a stark reminder of the extreme dangers inherent in irregular migration journeys. Every year, a large number of migrants lose their lives or go missing while attempting to cross seas and borders. According to statistics from past years, the majority of those who have perished or disappeared have been young people, women, and children.
While December 18 is marked annually as International Migrants Day to promote the rights of migrants and raise awareness of their challenges, the phenomenon of illegal migration persists globally. Despite various local and international efforts to manage migration and provide safe pathways, many individuals continue to undertake perilous journeys through dangerous routes.
