This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/07/italy-migrant-boat-capsize-five-men-accused-murder

The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Five men held in Italy over presumed deaths of 200 migrants in the Med Five men charged with murder of 200 migrants drowned in the Med
(about 2 hours later)
Three Libyans and two Algerians have been arrested by Italian police in connection with the presumed drowning of more than 200 migrants in the Mediterranean. Five men have been charged with multiple counts of murder by Italian authorities after survivors named them as the traffickers in charge of a vessel that capsized in the Mediterranean, killing an estimated 200 people.
The five men, who are accused of multiple murder and human trafficking, were held for questioning on Thursday night after being arrested in Palermo, where survivors of the previous day’s capsizing arrived. According to witness accounts gathered by police, the suspected traffickers – two Libyans, two Algerians and a Tunisian aged 21-24 – threatened the migrants on board with knives and beat them with belts to control them.
The suspects were named as Imad Busadia, Abdullah Assnusi, Ali Rouibah, Suud Mujassabi and Shauki Esshaush. About 100 African migrants now presumed dead were allegedly held in the hull of the doomed boat, survivors told police. The traffickers allegedly said those passengers, who had paid less for their crossing than others, could be kept there for three days. When the hull started filling with water, the traffickers beat them back and ordered other passengers to sit on the hatch of the hull to stop them getting out.
Police allege migrants were beaten and stabbed during the voyage, with many locked in the hold. Rescue crews were able to save 373 people, according to the latest assessment by the Italian coastguard, while 25 were confirmed dead.
Related: Up to 200 people still unaccounted for after migrant boat sinks off LibyaRelated: Up to 200 people still unaccounted for after migrant boat sinks off Libya
The search for survivors continued on Thursday morning, with five vessels patrolling the area of the disaster for signs of life, but none were found, according to Migrant Report, which is closely following the situation. The suspects, who were being questioned by police on Thursday night, were named as Imad Busadia, Abdullah Assnusi, Ali Rouibah, Suud Mujassabi and Shauki Esshaush.
Most of the passengers were believed to be from Syria, though their nationalities have not been confirmed. According to police, the suspects, thought to be part of a Libyan-based trafficking ring, used their knives to cut marks on the heads of migrants who disobeyed their orders – especially the sub-Saharan Africans – while Arabs were beaten with belts.
If the death toll continues to rise as expected, the capsizing will be the deadliest involving migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean since April, when more than 800 died after their boat sank. According to La Stampa, the cost of the trip ranged between $1,200-$1,800 (£775-£1,160), with life jackets costing extra.
It is thought that up to 600 migrants were on board, with many believed to have been in the hull. These people would have had almost no chance to escape, experts said. The men were arrested after 373 survivors of the tragedy – including small children – were brought to Sicily on Thursday and more information emerged about the traffickers on board.
The boat is believed to have hit rough weather 15 miles (24km) off the Libyan coast, and made a distress call that was received by Italian naval officials. About 600-700 people were thought to be on board the wooden boat, which is believed to have capsized after passengers rushed to one side when they saw two small rescue boats – dispatched by the Irish rescue vessel LÉ Niamh –approaching them.
An Irish rescue vessel, LÉ Niamh, and Dignity I, a boat operated by Médecins Sans Frontières, the international medical aid charity, were dispatched to the area. They were later joined by three other ships and a helicopter.
The boat is believed to have capsized at 1pm (1200 BST) after it was approached by two smaller vessels operated by LÉ Niamh. Passengers are believed to have rushed to one side of the boat, which then overturned.
Migrant Report noted on Thursday that the Italian coastguard vessel, Mimbelli, then sent a helicopter to drop life rafts at the site, a quick response that saved hundreds of lives.Migrant Report noted on Thursday that the Italian coastguard vessel, Mimbelli, then sent a helicopter to drop life rafts at the site, a quick response that saved hundreds of lives.
In April, a boat carrying more than 800 migrants overturned, also off Libya’s coast, where smugglers operate. Only 28 survivors, including two alleged smugglers, were found. The traffickers were not the first to be arrested by police in Italy, where the surge in migration and illegal activity has turned prosecutors more accustomed to mafia cases into experts in human trafficking.
More than 2,000 people have died trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe this year, according to the International Organisation for Migration. In April, police in Sicily arrested 15 people for allegedly throwing 12 migrants overboard in what appeared to be a Muslim assault against Christians. Weeks later, police arrested two other smugglers who survived a deadly sinking – the worst incident of its kind in the Mediterranean – which killed 800 people.
The aid group said the central Mediterranean route from Africa to southern Italy was far more dangerous than other routes used by migrants. It noted that while Italy and Greece had experienced a similar inflow of migrants this year (97,000 in Italy and 90,500 in Greece), almost 2,000 had died making their way to Italy, while 60 were known to have died trying to get to Greece. The two suspects – Tunisian Mohammed Ali Malek, believed to be the captain of the vessel, and Syrian national Mahmud Bikhit, 25 – were among 28 survivors of the shipwreck.
Non-governmental organisations often join migrant sea rescue operations, which are coordinated by Italy’s coastguard and are now under the umbrella of an EU taskforce known as Triton.
Last October, the EU opted not to replace the Italian-run search-and-rescue operation Mare Nostrum, which saved about 100,000 lives last year, amid fears that it was encouraging smugglers and migrants to organise more trips to Europe.