At least 130 African refugees have died and 200 are still missing after an overloaded boat caught fire and sank off the Italian island of Lampedusa. More than 150 of the migrants have been rescued. Most of those on board were from Eritrea and Somalia, said the UN.
Italy boat sinking: Hundreds feared dead off Lampedusa
Sadly, this is only the latest such tragedy. In April of 2011 we posted about another overloaded boat bound for Lampedusa which sank with the loss of at least 130 dead and 250 missing. Lampedusa is an Italian island in the Mediterranean between Sicily and North Africa. It has become a major transit point for immigrants from Africa, the Middle East and Asia wanting to enter Europe. Overloaded boats bound for Lampedusa have been sinking with significant loss of life for years. Time magazine describes Lampedusa as “the Italian Island Thousands Are Dying to Reach.”
Refugees from Libya, Somalia and scores of other countries have fled to Lampedusa, many with the aid of smugglers, to navigate the dangerous and sometimes deadly passage. Over the years, thousands have died trying to reach Italian and Maltese shores: between 1994 and 2012, nearly 6,500 people died in the Canal of Sicily, according to Fortress Europe, an observatory that tracks migrant deaths.
The mayor of Lampedusa, Giusi Nicolini, says that things have to change. “These bodies are all speaking. We need to stop this.”
Thanks to Phil Leon for contributing to the post.
This is indeed a tragedy which has been called a disgrace by the Pope Francis 1. While his remark is not really helpful to the situation the “disgrace” is on Libya which does nothing to stop this human smuggling many of whom are fellow Muslims. The Italians have no legal authority until they rescue the illegal immigrants off Lampedusa. In the news videos many of the rescuers were in tears.
Good Watch.