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Migrants had launched SOS to Malta before boat sank in rough seas, rescue underway as many are feared drowned
UPDATE 4 | At least 15 bodies have been sighted at sea in an area off the island of Lampedusa where 150 African migrants are feared to have drowned when their boat reportedly snapped in rough weather.
6 April 2011, 12:00am
Karl Stagno-Navarra
Karl Stagno-Navarra
1 min read
A rescue effort coordinated by the Maltese Armed Forces and the Italian navy has so far led to 47 migrants being saved from the rough seas, and are said to be safe on board an Italian warship.
The migrants reported that they were fleeing Libya and sent out an SOS by phoning the AFM Rescue Centre with a satellite phone. Shortly after, the tragic events unfolded. This is the second tragic incident at sea involving migrants during the last week.
On Sunday it was revealed that the bodies of 70 Africans were recovered off the Libyan coast.
Searches are underway over a five mile radius and a recent report by the Italian Coast Guard explained that a helicopter has spotted at least 15 bodies.
Three Italian patrol boats and two aircraft and a helicopter are involved in the difficult rescue operation.
Force 6 winds are said to be prevailing.
More details soon.
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svella, when their is civil war or any other type of war in a country, people fleeing the state at war are termed refugees not illegal immigrants. Further more the tragedy occurred in a search and rescue area which is under the jurisdiction of Malta.
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@Svella: Is that the limits of your vocabulary?
Jeff Cassar •
illegal immigrants
duncan abela •
Yet more African lives lost in their desperate and reckless bid to cross over from the Libyan shores. The solution to their current predicament is for the UNHRC to provide a safe and protected haven in Libya. The UN resolution spoke of a humanitarian mission but it seems to have forgotten these desperate third word migrant workers in Libya. Many of them have worked and been exploited for years and in the process their sweat and toil built the Libyan infrastructure. They should therefore also be paid displacement benefits during the current turmoil from the frozen Libyan assets. They should for their own protection be prevented from embarking on unsafe boats in this highly reckless and dangerous journey from the North African coast to Europe. It is unfortunate that the ships currently patrolling Libya are not turning them back. But perhaps humanitarian aid for the coalition only goes as far as shooting down sitting targets from the air.
