The migrant boat disaster off the coast of Libya has resulted in the drowning of more than 900 migrants in the Mediterranean. Initial reports stated that there were 700 people on the ship, but survivors say that there were 950 migrants on board, with 300 locked in the hold of the overloaded shipping boat of 20 meters in length.
The Italian border police say that the small numbers of survivors make more sense if there were hundreds locked in the hold weighing down the vessel. The pressure of the people beneath and the shift to one side when the people on board saw a Portuguese merchant ship approaching took its toll on the vessel.
The latest information from Italy shows that 50 survivors from the shipwreck have been found. Among the 900 reportedly on board were around 200 women and 50 children.
EU inertia has been judged harshly following the tragedy. Malta’s Prime Minister Joseph Muscat stating that the incident was evidence that countries dealing with boatloads of immigrants need help. “A time will come when Europe will be judged harshly for its inaction as it was judged when it had turned a blind eye to genocide,” he said. “They are literally trying to find people alive among the dead floating in the water.”
Pressure is being placed on the EU to confront the problems of human trafficking only months after a seaborne rescue campaign took its toll on EU financial and moral support. A meeting of EU foreign ministers is due to take place in Luxembourg on Monday to discuss the issue.
“Europe can do more and Europe must do more,” said European Parliament President Martin Schulz.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said that the Mediterranean should stop being a watery graveyard and urged EU member countries to collectively come up with a plan to deal with the humanitarian crisis on three levels:
a) Upgrading the infrastructure to deal with search and rescue of migration in the Mediterranean
b) Support for European Mediterranean countries that have to deal with the huge wave of migration and refugees through the correct distribution of funds and immigrants
c) Diplomatic initiatives for the peaceful solution to the conflict in Syria, Iraq and Libya.
On his part, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi wants the focus to be against “human trafficking in the 21st century.”
Commissioner Avramopoulos stated: “The latest tragedy in the Mediterranean is a stark reminder that we need to take bold actions to deal with the growing migration crisis. Tomorrow, I will travel to Luxembourg to participate in the Foreign Affairs Council which will discuss migration in light of the recent events. My visit to Ceuta and Melilla remains one of my priorities and I expect that a new date will be set soon.”
Minister of the Interior Jorge Fernández Díaz stated:
“I would like to express my deep sorrow for today’s tragedy in the Mediterranean. There is an urgent need take action and to respond effectively to this humanitarian crisis.”
More than 1,000 dead in the Mediterranean over the last week:
400 dead on April 12 when a boat sank near Lampedusa
40 dead on April 16 with a shipwreck off the coast of Sicily
12 Christians dead when Muslim migrants threw them into the sea
Around 900 dead in Sunday’s shipwreck
