Lampedusa shipwreck: migrant boat capsizes killing dozens
- 9 years ago
Originally published on October 12, 2013
Dozens of people died after a migrant boat capsized on Friday between Sicily and Tunisia. This is the second such shipwreck this month, according to the Italian coastguard.
The boat that capsized on Friday was about 100 km south of Lampedusa. It was carrying around 250 migrants. At around 2 pm GMT the migrants spotted a Maltese military plane.
According to BBC, they crowded to one side of the boat to get the attention of the aircraft, and caused the boat to overturn.
According to local reports, up to 50 migrants sighted, 10 of them were children. The Maltese navy rescued 150 migrants, while an Italian navy vessel saved 56 more people.
The most seriously injured were taken by helicopter to Lampedusa.
As Reuters reported, "This is not just another wake-up call for Europe. This is the time for action," Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said during a news conference in Valletta, adding he had spoken to Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta to discuss the latest disaster.
"This is a European problem, not a problem for Italy or Malta only," he said.
Earlier on Friday, at least 500 other migrants travelling in separate boats were rescued near Sicily.
As Reuters reported, "According to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, 32,000 have arrived in southern Italy and Malta this year alone, around two thirds of whom have filed requests for asylum.
"Most migrants come from sub-Saharan Africa, but this year many are fleeing the civil war in Syria or political turmoil in Egypt and other parts of North Africa. Many are drawn by hopes of finding work in Europe and often do not stay in Italy.
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Dozens of people died after a migrant boat capsized on Friday between Sicily and Tunisia. This is the second such shipwreck this month, according to the Italian coastguard.
The boat that capsized on Friday was about 100 km south of Lampedusa. It was carrying around 250 migrants. At around 2 pm GMT the migrants spotted a Maltese military plane.
According to BBC, they crowded to one side of the boat to get the attention of the aircraft, and caused the boat to overturn.
According to local reports, up to 50 migrants sighted, 10 of them were children. The Maltese navy rescued 150 migrants, while an Italian navy vessel saved 56 more people.
The most seriously injured were taken by helicopter to Lampedusa.
As Reuters reported, "This is not just another wake-up call for Europe. This is the time for action," Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said during a news conference in Valletta, adding he had spoken to Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta to discuss the latest disaster.
"This is a European problem, not a problem for Italy or Malta only," he said.
Earlier on Friday, at least 500 other migrants travelling in separate boats were rescued near Sicily.
As Reuters reported, "According to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, 32,000 have arrived in southern Italy and Malta this year alone, around two thirds of whom have filed requests for asylum.
"Most migrants come from sub-Saharan Africa, but this year many are fleeing the civil war in Syria or political turmoil in Egypt and other parts of North Africa. Many are drawn by hopes of finding work in Europe and often do not stay in Italy.
TomoNews is your daily source for top animated news. We've combined animation and video footage with a snarky personality to bring you the biggest and best stories from around the world.
For news that's fun and never boring, visit our channel:
https://www.youtube.com/user/TomoNewsUS
Subscribe to stay updated on all the top stories: