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Another boatload of migrants goes down, as many as 700 dead Printer friendly page Print This
By Staff Writers, teleSUR
teleSUR
Sunday, Apr 19, 2015

Migrants at the Sicilian harbour of Pozzallo, February 15, 2015. | Photo: Reuters

Italian authorities launched a major rescue operation south of the island of Lampedusa on Sunday after a migrant ship capsized with more than 700 migrants aboard.

Local press says only 28 people have been rescued so far as coastguards continue searching for the rest. However officials say the death toll could be the deadliest ever from a single capsizing.

Early this month Italian navy and coast guard ships rescued more than 1,500 migrants, most of them from sub-Saharan Africa, from the southern Mediterranean in a 24-hour span. 

Over the last couple of years, an increasing number of migrants fleeing wars and violence in Africa and the Middle East have been attempting to cross into Europe through the Mediterranean. 

According to the U.N. refugee agency, about 170,000 migrants entered Europe through Italy last year by way of the dangerous sea crossings organized by human traffickers. More than 3,000 perished at sea, with the majority of the vessels departing from Libya.

The Italian government has said it will continue rescuing migrants but has repeatedly demanded to the European Union to increase its assistance to shelter and rescue them.

Authorities said most migrants want to reach family or other members of their community in northern Europe, which is why the government in Rome urges those countries to do more.

Official figures have also revealed that during the first two months of 2015, migrant arrivals were up 43 percent compared the same period in 2014.



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