Friday 17 April 2015

Dozens of migrants 'missing in new Mediterranean boat tragedy'


As many as 41 migrants have drowned after another boat carrying refugees sank in the Mediterranean, Italian media reported Thursday, one day after another boat, carrying over 500 migrants, capsized in the same region.

Four survivors told Italian police and humanitarian organisations that their inflatable vessel carrying 45 people sank on the crossing from Libya.

In a separate incident, Italian police said Thursday they had arrested 15 African Muslim migrants after witnesses said they had thrown 12 Christian passengers overboard following a brawl on a boat heading to Italy.

The victims were "of Christian faith, compared to their attackers who were of Muslim faith," police said in a statement, saying the 15 people arrested were accused of "multiple aggravated murder motivated by religious hate".

Up to 400 illegal migrants died in the Wednesday disaster, said survivors.

The Italian coastguard on Monday said they had managed to rescue 144 of the people on the sunken vessel, while nine bodies were also recovered.

The International Organization for Migration and the charity Save the Children said between 144 and 150 survivors arrived at Reggio Calabria, on Italy's southern tip, on Tuesday morning.

"There were 400 victims in this shipwreck, which occurred 24 hours after (their vessel) left the Libyan coast," Save the Children said in a statement, citing survivors.

"There were several young males, probably minors, among the victims" and also children among those rescued, the international NGO said.

Friday 17 April 2015

http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/middle-east/67933-150416-dozens-of-migrants-missing-in-new-mediterranean-boat-tragedy

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