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114 Migrants Dead In Sicily Shipwreck

Adithya Manjunath |
October 3, 2013 | 10:02 a.m. PDT

Executive Producer

The Italian Coast Guard were able to save around 150 people from the shipwreck, but 200 people are still missing. (Wikimedia Commons)
The Italian Coast Guard were able to save around 150 people from the shipwreck, but 200 people are still missing. (Wikimedia Commons)

In one of the worst shipwreck disasters in the Mediterranean Sea, over 100 migrants who mostly were from Eritrea according to the UNHCR died off the coast of the island Lampedusa, south of Sicily in Italy.

At least 114 migrants died and 151 people were rescued, while more than 200 people are still missing. The boat carried close to 500 migrants in total – many of whom were unable to swim, according to reports

The disaster began when some passengers reportedly started a fire on the wooden boat to signal their presence as the boat was close to shore, which resulted in other alarmed travelers to move onto one side of the boat. The boat quickly tipped over, which threw many of the boat’s passengers into the water. Before long, the boat was enveloped in flames, sinking just half a mile away from the coast. The vessel reportedly set sail from Misurata, in Libya according to the Italian Coast Guard.

According to data released by the International Organization for Migration, in the last two decades, around 25,000 people have died in the Mediterranean Sea – with 1,500 people attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea drowning or missing in 2011 alone.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres paid tribute to the prompt actions of the Italian coast guard that saved 151 people, while also expressing dismay at the “rising global phenomenon of migrants and people fleeing conflict or persecution and perishing at sea".

Pope Francis took to Twitter to say in Italian, “Pray to God for the victims of the tragic shipwreck off the coast of Lampedusa” while also calling the loss of life a “disgrace” on Thursday. The Italian PM Enrico Letta also said on Twitter that he thought that the incident was “a tragedy".

Contact Executive Producer Adi here and follow him on Twitter.



 

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Craig Gillespie directed this true story about "the most daring rescue mission in the history of the U.S. Coast Guard.”

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