Up to 700 feared dead after migrant boat sinks off Libya - UNHCR
Source: Reuters
As many as 700 people are feared dead after a boat carrying migrants capsized off the Libyan coast overnight, a United Nations official said on Sunday.
Twenty eight people were rescued in the incident, which happened in an area just off Libyan waters, south of the southern Italian island of Lampedusa, the official said, adding that a number of Italian coast guard and naval vessels were being sent in rescue operations.
If confirmed, the disaster would be one of the worst seen during the decades-long migrant crisis in the southern Mediterranean and would bring the total number of dead since the beginning of the year to more than 1,500.
"At the moment, we fear that this is a tragedy of really vast proportions," Carlotta Sami, a spokeswoman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, told SkyTG24 television.
Read more: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/04/19/uk-europe-migrants-idUKKBN0NA07220150419
This is after another 400 dies earlier in the week: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10141067063
Skittles
(153,147 posts)Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)Even for the search and rescue teams, this is an utter horror.
Italy needs more help from the EU in the face of this tidal wave.
LeftishBrit
(41,205 posts)BlueEye
(449 posts)Isn't there more the international community can do? With all the satellite recon, intel gathering capabilities, paired with the large Western naval presence in the Mediterranean, you would think Europe would be able to interdict these boats before they get too far.
At the same time, turning back thousands of migrants to countries filled with hostile extremists raises its own ethical questions. I cannot blame Europe for wanting to avoid large refugee camps, but perhaps that is the end game here?
bigworld
(1,807 posts)It's easy to see why it sunk.