Italian coast guard rescue 58 people after migrant boat was spotted adrift in extreme weather conditions.
The Italian coast guard recovered 19 bodies and rescued 58 people from a migrant boat in the Mediterranean sea in the early hours of Wednesday.
The vessel on which the migrants were travelling was found adrift in extreme weather conditions about 85 miles off the coast of the Italian isalnd of Lampedusa, inside Libyan search and rescue waters.
Italian coast guard authorities spotted the boat from a reconnaissance plane on Tuesday and intervened as there were no Libyan coastguard or civilian ships in the area.
Positioned between the north African coast and Sicily, Lampedusa has become a gateway to Europe for migrants fleeing violence, exploitation, persecution and poverty. However the sea crossing is notoriously perilous.
What happened
The boat had departed from the Libyan port of Abu Kammash on Monday morning.
According to survivor accounts, conditions in the Mediterranean deteriorated rapidly after departure, with strong winds, rain and waves reported at up to seven metres, driving temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius.
The migrants were exposed for two days to the elements and to fumes from the vessel’s fuel.
The 19 victims comprised 18 men and one woman.
Hypothermia is the most probable cause of death, according to the coast guard and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
Journey to Lampedusa
Italian coast guard spokesperson Roberto D’Arrigo told AFP that some passengers may have died during the subsequent 10-hour return journey to Lampedusa under severe weather conditions. All survivors and bodies were brought ashore on Wednesday afternoon.
The death toll is provisional, with authorities continuing to verify the full circumstances of the incident.
Seven passengers, including two children, were admitted to the medical centre on Lampedusa for treatment for hypothermia and intoxication from hydrocarbon fumes. Five were reported to be in a serious but stable condition.
Among those hospitalised was a one-year-old child, whose mother is believed to have died on the vessel. The remaining survivors were transferred to the reception centre on the island.
Disinterest
German rescue organisation Sea-Watch described the recent period as a surge in Mediterranean fatalities, estimating that at least 104 people had died at sea in the three days preceding 1 April, and criticising the “deafening silence and disinterest” of the political class.
Bishop Gian Carlo Perego, president of the Italian Bishops’ Conference migration commission, was cited by Avvenire newspaper as saying: “Despite this tragedy, the government continues to navigate in indifference, and Europe is increasingly disinterested”.
The UN’s International Organisation for Migration said that 624 people have died or gone missing in the central Mediterranean since the start of this year.
Photo SkyTG24
