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| Days After Disaster, Another Migrant Ship Sinks Near Italian Island | |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| ROME — A ship filled with migrants apparently trying to reach Europe capsized in the Mediterranean Sea on Friday about 100 nautical miles southwest of the island nation of Malta, sending rescue boats and helicopters racing to the scene, officials said. At least 206 passengers were rescued, and 27 bodies were recovered. | |
| The accident occurred about 60 nautical miles south of the Italian island of Lampedusa, in waters that fall under Malta’s jurisdiction for search-and-rescue operations. The area is regularly plied by smugglers bearing migrants from Africa or the Middle East who are seeking asylum or economic opportunity in Europe. | The accident occurred about 60 nautical miles south of the Italian island of Lampedusa, in waters that fall under Malta’s jurisdiction for search-and-rescue operations. The area is regularly plied by smugglers bearing migrants from Africa or the Middle East who are seeking asylum or economic opportunity in Europe. |
| “For geographical reasons, it would make sense to say that they were coming from Libya,” said Keith Caruana, public affairs officer with the armed forces of Malta. “We can’t confirm or deny. We are now focusing on saving lives.” | “For geographical reasons, it would make sense to say that they were coming from Libya,” said Keith Caruana, public affairs officer with the armed forces of Malta. “We can’t confirm or deny. We are now focusing on saving lives.” |
| The accident comes as Europe has been re-examining its immigration policies in the aftermath of a horrific maritime disaster on Oct. 3, in which an overcrowded migrant boat carrying Africans capsized less than half a mile from Lampedusa, killing at least 339 people. | The accident comes as Europe has been re-examining its immigration policies in the aftermath of a horrific maritime disaster on Oct. 3, in which an overcrowded migrant boat carrying Africans capsized less than half a mile from Lampedusa, killing at least 339 people. |
| The boat was first spotted Friday afternoon by a Maltese military aircraft, according to the Web site of Malta’s armed forces. The boat appeared unstable and capsized within minutes of being spotted. The Maltese aircraft dropped life rafts and sent a patrol boat. Italian vessels and helicopters also soon arrived to help, as did a private fishing boat. | |
| The engine on the migrant boat that capsized last week had failed. As the boat neared shore, someone on board set fire to a blanket, hoping to attract attention. The flames ignited gasoline from the engine, and when people rushed away from the blaze, the boat toppled. Many could not swim. | |
| Every year, tens of thousands of migrants and asylum seekers pay thousands of dollars to smugglers to make the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean, despite treacherous conditions and an uncertain reception in Europe. Many analysts say Europe must do more to create legal channels to allow people from poorer countries to immigrate. Otherwise, they say, smugglers will continue to thrive by promising a better life. | |
| “They still enjoy a quasi monopoly on salvation, as demonstrated by several crowded and unseaworthy boats leaving Libya even following the Lampedusa tragedy,” Maurizio Albahari, a specialist in international migration at the University of Notre Dame, said in an e-mail. Europe, he added, needs to “offer accessible, safe and legal channels for people displaced in Libya to apply for asylum or to be granted temporary protection.” | |
| This week, José Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission, visited Lampedusa, pledging an additional $40.5 million to help Italy deal with the influx of refugees. Mr. Barroso saw rows of coffins for the victims, including children, laid out in an airplane hangar, and he spoke broadly about improving coordination and cooperation among European Union member states. | |
| Immigration is a volatile issue in much of Europe, with right-wing political parties in several countries embracing nativist, anti-immigrant positions. For years, Italian officials have complained of having to bear Europe’s burden, since tens of thousands of asylum seekers land in Italy, even though they often aspire to asylum in Northern European countries with better benefits. Others note that countries like Belgium, Britain, France, Germany and Sweden bear the brunt of asylum applications. | Immigration is a volatile issue in much of Europe, with right-wing political parties in several countries embracing nativist, anti-immigrant positions. For years, Italian officials have complained of having to bear Europe’s burden, since tens of thousands of asylum seekers land in Italy, even though they often aspire to asylum in Northern European countries with better benefits. Others note that countries like Belgium, Britain, France, Germany and Sweden bear the brunt of asylum applications. |
| Usually, the traffic of migrants across the Mediterranean slows by October, when the conditions of the sea and the weather make passage more dangerous. But this October, Italy’s Coast Guard has conducted rescue operations almost every day, as the tide of people keeps coming. | Usually, the traffic of migrants across the Mediterranean slows by October, when the conditions of the sea and the weather make passage more dangerous. But this October, Italy’s Coast Guard has conducted rescue operations almost every day, as the tide of people keeps coming. |
| Lampedusa, roughly 70 miles east of Tunisia, is a center of the migration crisis on the Mediterranean, with migrant ships regularly aiming for the island. Giusi Nicolini, the mayor of Lampedusa, has spoken frequently about the need for a European solution to prevent so many people from risking their lives at sea. | |
| “Shipwrecks are very frequent,” she told the Italian television channel La7. “We know about some, but often we don’t even know that they’ve happened.” | “Shipwrecks are very frequent,” she told the Italian television channel La7. “We know about some, but often we don’t even know that they’ve happened.” |
| She added: “We can’t let people die at sea. There cannot be a dam in the Mediterranean. And Lampedusa is too tiny to be Europe’s frontier.” | She added: “We can’t let people die at sea. There cannot be a dam in the Mediterranean. And Lampedusa is too tiny to be Europe’s frontier.” |
Gaia Pianigiani contributed reporting. | Gaia Pianigiani contributed reporting. |