About 30 people are still missing after a boat carrying migrants capsized off the coast of Libya during a cargo ship rescue attempt. This is reported by TASS with reference to the Italian Coast Guard.
“During the rescue operation, the boat capsized, 17 people were rescued, but about 30 more were missing,” the statement said. It is noted that the search for people is conducted “with the help of merchant ships located in the area.”
On the night of March 11, a non-governmental organization reported on the ship with 47 migrants on the night of March 11, according to the Italian coast guard. The boat was “about 100 miles off the Libyan coast”.
On March 9, the Italian government approved a decree that provides for tougher penalties – up to 30 years in prison – for smugglers of migrants by sea. The meeting of the Council of Ministers was held in the city of Cutro, off the coast of which a boat with migrants crashed on February 26, killing at least 79 people. The boat sailed from Turkey, there were many women and children on board.
Italian police found and detained three people smugglers. Simultaneously with the investigation against the carriers, the prosecutor’s office of the republic opened an investigation on the assumption that the Italian services did not provide timely assistance to the ship.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, since the beginning of the year, more than 17.5 thousand people have arrived in Italy by sea, and last year during the same period (January-March) – almost 6 thousand. The Italian authorities have repeatedly stated the need for pan-European solutions to the problem of migration .
Source: Rosbalt
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