26 Die in Migrant Shipwreck Off Italian Island
At least 26 people died in a migrant shipwreck off the southern Italian island of Lampedusa on Wednesday and 60 were brought ashore, the coastguard said, adding that the death toll was still provisional amid ongoing search operations.The disaster, in this case involving people travelling from Libya, is the latest to befall migrants making the perilous Mediterranean crossing from Africa to Europe.An Italian law enforcement aircraft spotted a capsized boat with bodies in the water about 14 miles (23 km) off Lampedusa on Wednesday morning…
Italy Recovers 217 Bodies from Migrant Shipwreck
Italian emergency workers have recovered 217 bodies from the wreck of a boat that sank in the Mediterranean in April 2015, killing some 500 migrants, the Navy said on Thursday. The sinking was one of the worst known disasters involving migrants trying to reach Europe by sea. Thousands of people a year, many of them fleeing war in the Middle East, have crossed the Mediterranean in unseaworthy or overcrowded boats. In 2015, at least 3,770 people are thought to have died on Mediterranean routes, mostly by drowning when their boats capsized. The vessel was hauled off the seabed and taken to a naval site in southeastern Sicily last week. Its sinking about 135 km (85 miles) north of Libya, from where it departed, jolted the European Union into stepping up Mediterranean rescue efforts.
First Bodies Recovered from Deadliest Migrant Shipwreck
Italy's navy said on Tuesday it had retrieved the first bodies from the wreck of a boat that sank in the Mediterranean three months ago, killing up to 800 migrants attempting to cross from Libya to Europe. Recovery operations started on Monday, using remote-controlled vehicles and a container called a "Big Bag" in a submersible basket to haul the bodies up from the fishing boat, which is lying at a depth of about 370 metres (1,200 feet). The disaster, believed to be the worst in decades of perilous sea-borne migration from North Africa, has shocked the European Union into expanding rescue operations. The navy said it had pulled out eight bodies so far from the shipwreck, which happened about 135 km (85 miles) north of Libya.
Update: Migrants Arrive in Italy on Packed Cargo Ship
Almost 1,000 migrants arrived in Italy on a cargo ship on Wednesday after apparently being abandoned by its crew in the Adriatic Sea, the Italian Red Cross said. The mainly Syrian migrants were bundled off the Blue Sky M when it arrived in Italy in the early hours of the morning after it was first spotted near the coast of Corfu. Greece sent its navy and coastguard with a military helicopter to the scene on Tuesday in response to an alarm call about a possible incident on the Moldovan-flagged ship. Italian officials were airlifted onto the Blue Sky M after it left Greek waters to check it could navigate safely. The coastguard said there were 970 people on board when the ship arrived at the small port city of Gallipoli.
Migrants Found Dead on Packed Ship
Four migrants were found dead on a cargo ship which was taken to Italy after apparently being abandoned by its crew in Greek waters, the Italian Red Cross said on Wednesday. The Blue Sky M was carrying an estimated 900 migrants when it was spotted drifting near the coast of Corfu on Tuesday. Greece sent its navy and coastguard with a military helicopter to the scene in response to an alarm call about a possible incident on the ship and Italian coast guard officials later boarded to check if it could navigate properly. Most of the people on board were Syrian, Red Cross spokeswoman Mimma Antonagi told Reuters from the province of Lecce where the migrants arrived. The exact number of people on board is still not known, Antonagi said.
