As many as 700 people are feared
dead after a boat carrying migrants capsized off the Libyan coast
overnight, in one of the worst disasters seen in the Mediterranean
migrant crisis, officials said on Sunday.
Illegal migrants stand in an immigration holding centre located on the outskirts of Misrata March 11, 2015. Photo: Reuters
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, an Italian coast guard official
said.
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.
The Italian official confirmed that navy
vessels were involved in the operation, which was being coordinated by
the Italian coast guard in Rome. But he said details were still being
evaluated.
The boat is believed to have capsized when migrants moved to one side of the overcrowded vessel when a merchant ship approached.
"The first details came from one of the
survivors who spoke English and who said that at least 700 people, if
not more, were on board. The boat capsized because people moved to one
side when another boat approached that they hoped would rescue them,"
Sami said.
The latest disaster is likely to fuel
calls for a stronger response from Europe after heavy criticism of the
Triton border protection operation which replaced a more comprehensive
Italian search-and-rescue operation dubbed Mare Nostrum last year.
The lawless state of Libya following the
toppling of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 has left criminal
gangs of migrant smugglers a free hand to send a stream of boats
carrying desperate migrants from Africa and the Middle East.
Around 20,000 migrants have reached the
Italian coast this year, the International Organization for Migration
(IOM) estimates. That is fewer than in the first four months of last
year but the number of deaths has risen almost nine-fold.
Italy phased out "Mare Nostrum" or "Our
Sea" late last year, making way for the European Union border control
mission, Triton, which has been criticized by humanitarian groups and
Italian authorities as it has a much smaller budget and a narrower
remit.
Source: Reuters