Italy counts up to 900 migrants dead and launches rescues of two more boats

[jimmy olsen]

Man, these numbers are starting to get out of control.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/apr/20/italy-pm-matteo-renzi-migrant-shipwreck-crisis-srebrenica-massacre

Italy counts up to 900 migrants dead and launches rescues of two more boats
PM Matteo Renzi says Europe cannot 'close our eyes and commemorate later' the tragedy, as another migrant boat runs aground on Rhodes

Alessandra Bonomolo in Catania and Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Rome

Monday 20 April 2015 19.08 BST  Last modified on Tuesday 21 April 2015 00.07 BST 

On a day that 27 survivors of the weekend's Mediterranean boat disaster were taken to Sicily and salvage crews scoured the waters off Libya for the bodies of up to 900 more victims, reports came in of many more desperate migrants heading for Europe in unseaworthy craft, oblivious to the overwhelming odds against them.


Matteo Renzi, Italy's prime minister, said rescues were under way to help save migrants trapped on two vessels carrying about 450 people off the Libyan coast. Earlier, the International Organisation for Migration said "at least" 20 fatalities had been reported from one of the vessels, carrying about 300 people, although that could not be immediately confirmed.

Meanwhile, a fragile wooden boat with more than 80 people aboard ran aground off the Aegean island of Rhodes. The Greek authorities reported at least three people had been killed, including a child.

As the Italian rescue crews returned to base after fruitless searches for more survivors from the weekend shipwreck, the scale and horror came into ever sharper focus of what is likely to be the worst maritime disaster of its kind.

Vincenzo Bonomo, one of the Italian rescuers, told La Repubblica: "It was a sight that broke the hearts of even men of the sea like us.

"I saw children's shoes, clothing, backpacks floating in the water. Every time we saw a shoe or a bag, any sign of life, we thought we might have found a survivor. But every time we were disappointed. It was heart-breaking," Bonomo said.

"We didn't find a single survivor – not one. We didn't leave the area until the last shred of hope had gone. We wanted to at least find more bodies so that they could be given a dignified burial."

"They told us that there were between 700 and 900 people on board, mostly in the hold where they were trapped after the boat capsized," said Gianluigi Bove, the rescue boat captain. "There was no trace of the boat, just debris and traces of petrol."

An Italian prosecutor, Giovanni Salvi, says the smugglers' boat that sank near Libya this weekend had three levels and the doomed migrants were locked in the hull and middle deck.

One survivor, identified as a 32-year-old Bangladeshi, has put the number of people on board the smugglers' boat at as many as 950, though Salvi said that number should be treated with caution. He added that the Italian coast guard had estimated 700 people had been on board, based on observations at the scene of the sinking.

Anger spread across Italy at what is increasingly perceived as a humanitarian tragedy to which the rest of Europe is turning its back. Renzi compared the situation to the slaughter of Bosnian Muslims supposedly under international protection in Srebrenica 20 years ago.

"Twenty years ago, we and Europe closed our eyes to Srebrenica. Today it's not possible to close our eyes again and only commemorate these events later," an agitated Renzi said in a press conference.

Before Sunday's disaster, aid agencies estimated that 20,000 migrants had reached the Italian coast this year and 900 had died.

The Italian coastguard ship Bruno Gregoracci docked in Malta at about 8am and dropped off two dozen bodies recovered from this weekend's wreck, including children, according to the aid agency Save the Children. They will be buried on Malta.

Maltese citizens were urged to send bouquets of flowers for the victims to the mortuary of Mater Dei hospital by the hospital's chief executive, Ivan Falzon.

"I'm asking you to go ahead and order a bouquet, a little thought for these people. They don't have anyone to do it for them in little Malta," he said, according to a report in the Times of Malta. "Most probably their family, relatives, friends, don't even know that they've ceased to exist."

Fourteen bouquets have already arrived.

While search-and-rescue operations continued near the site of the shipwreck, the captain of the Italian vessel Gianluigi Bove told reporters in Malta that it was unlikely any more survivors would be found.

"We did what was possible. At the time of the alert, we were 80 miles off the incident site," he said. "It took us six hours to reach the area."


While aid agencies have not yet had access to the survivors of the wreck, one survivor airlifted to Sicily for medical treatment said the fishing boat had been carrying about 950 people, including many women and children.

When a commercial vessel passed by, the passengers surged to one side to call for help and the ship capsized. It was the second time in recent weeks that such an accident was reported.

Upon arrival in Italy, the 27 survivors are expected to be given blankets, food and water before being moved to a reception centre run by the Italian government. Aid agencies such as the International Organisation for Migration and Save the Children have officials in these welcome centres that can help evaluate the victims' needs, particularly those of children who have been traumatised by the treacherous voyage and might be travelling without a parent.

Such reception areas are nearing full capacity and Italian officials on Monday warned that asylum policies in Europe needed to be amended to spread migrants more equally throughout the EU.

When pressed for answers on how to stem the crisis, Renzi suggested that a Europe-wide focus on rooting out and arresting human traffickers – whom he repeatedly compared to slave traders – was a first step.

"We are in the presence of a criminal organisation that is making a lot of money but mostly is ruining many human lives. Our country cannot allow this kind of trade in human lives," he said.

However, Renzi ruled out a naval blockade in international waters, which has been touted as a possible solution. The prime minister said that would be a gift to smugglers because it would essentially allow them to send migrants off by the thousands to be picked up by the European vessels.

Police in Palermo announced on Monday that they had arrested two men suspected of being important human traffickers who operate on the Italy-Libya route, Ermias Ghermay and Medhane Yehdego Redae.


Ghermay is an Ethiopian who is believed by authorities to be responsible for the 2013 shipwreck that killed 366 people off the coast of Lampedusa.

Also on Monday, at least three people died when a boat ran aground off of Rhodes. Video footage showed a large, wooden, double-masted vessel packed with people just metres from the land. It rocked wildly in the waves and passengers were seen jumping into the sea and swimming towards the shore.

[garbon]

Well UKIP said migrants would be less likely to attempt this if the UK was to leave the EU.

[Valmy]

While human smuggling is a pretty horrible thing and perhaps Europe could do a better job shutting these guys down I have a hard time comparing that to genocide.

[Valmy]

Well UKIP said migrants would be less likely to attempt this if the UK was to leave the EU.

It is true. The US is not in the EU and we have no problems like this on our borders.

[Eddie Teach]

Nothing a 700 foot tall wall couldn't fix.

[Liep]

Tony Abbott has the answer it seems. Turn the boats around! Because if 900 deaths doesn't dissuade you from trying yourself then those 900 people returning unsatisfied to your shore will?

[Monoriu]

Turning the boats around doesn't work, because they'll simply turn around again as soon as the navy isn't looking.  In the 80s and 90s, HK had to deal with tons of Vietnamese boat people.  What finally worked was to send them back after they had landed.   

[Warspite]

Remarkably, the British still considers its Libya policy a success.

There are 30 year-olds with OBEs from the Libya operation. The mind boggles.

[KRonn]

Remarkably, the British still considers its Libya policy a success.

There are 30 year-olds with OBEs from the Libya operation. The mind boggles.

Agreed, the mind boggles. Libya is now a hotbed of different extremist groups fighting for control. ISIS is so brazen there, feels so safe, that they again put on a public display and video of murdering a group of Christians.

Should never have gotten involved, should have left Ghadaffi alone there as there was no good solution. He had changed his ways quite a bit, was cooperating with the West on intel vs extremist Islam, as he was likely as much worried about it as the West is. And I would think he would also have helped Nigeria against Boko Haram.  Now it's another failed state that the world has to deal with.

[derspiess]

We do not talk about Libya.  It might make Hillary or Obama look bad.

[Caliga]

Should never have gotten involved, should have left Ghadaffi alone there as there was no good solution. He had changed his ways quite a bit, was cooperating with the West on intel vs extremist Islam, as he was likely as much worried about it as the West is. And I would think he would also have helped Nigeria against Boko Haram.  Now it's another failed state that the world has to deal with.

I distinctly remember taking Gadhafi's side in our Libyan Civil War thread and this is why.

[Syt]

That was a no win scenario. Either you intervene with a good chance of totally destabilizing the country, or you prop up an aging dictator whose inevitable death will probably have the same result.

[Caliga]

The only way to win is not to play?

[Admiral Yi]

I thought it was a reasonable course of action.

Anyway, the US was only playing a supporting role, so the blame for the ensuing disaster falls mostly on the Yuros. 

[Neil]

I thought it was a reasonable course of action.

Anyway, the US was only playing a supporting role, so the blame for the ensuing disaster falls mostly on the Yuros. 

I'm not so sure.  I think the US deserves at least some of the blame.  After all, they didn't help Britain recolonize Africa, and that's the only way that any of this could have been avoided.