Hundreds feared dead in Mediterranean over the weekend, survivors say

[Attila the Hun]

Migrants wait to be rescued as they drift at sunset in the Mediterranean Sea some 20 nautical miles north off the coast of Libya on October 3, 2016. (AFP Photo)


More than 200 migrants are feared to have died in the Mediterranean over the weekend, according to testimony from survivors, and several bodies, including that of an infant, have washed up on a Libyan beach.

About 7,500 people have been rescued off the coast of Libya since Thursday, the Italian and Libyan coastguards said. Two groups of survivors told the organizations that hundreds drowned when their rubber boats began to deflate before rescuers arrived.

More than 60 are feared dead and three bodies were recovered on Saturday, survivors brought to Sicily on Sunday told Italian coastguards. The boat left Libya carrying about 120, they said.

There was some discrepancy in the numbers. Based on its interviews with some of the survivors in Pozzallo, Italy, the U.N. refugee agency estimated the number of dead at more than 80.

Separately, Libya's coastguard picked up seven survivors over the weekend who said they had been on a boat packed with 170 migrants. Aid agency International Medical Corps, which gave medical care to the survivors, also confirmed their account.

"We rescued on Sunday seven illegal migrants - six men and a woman," said Omar Koko, a coastguard commander in the western city of Zawiya. "According to these survivors, there were 170 on board the boat, which sank because of overloading."

Among those missing were more than 30 women and nine children, Koko said.

Eleven bodies washed up on the shore west of Zawiya, said Mohanad Krima, a spokesman for the Red Crescent in Zawiya.

"All the bodies are of female victims and there is a girl of less than one year old," he said. Last week, survivors said a young man found shot dead on one of the rubber boats had been killed by a smuggler for his baseball cap.

The U.N. refugee agency says that, excluding the latest shipwrecks, more than 1,150 people have disappeared or died so far this year trying to reach Italy from North Africa, where a breakdown of law and order has allowed people smugglers to operate with impunity.

Migrant arrivals to Italy by sea are up about 30 percent this year on 2016, when a record 181,000 came.

"The increasing numbers of passengers on board vessels used by traffickers, with an average of 100 to 150 people, are alarming and the main cause of shipwrecks," United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said on Sunday.

"Risks are increased by the worsening quality of vessels and the increasing use of rubber boats instead of wooden ones," Grandi said.

https://www.dailysabah.com/europe/2...-mediterranean-over-the-weekend-survivors-say

 

[Penguin]

Damn it! Patrol 24nm off shore of the coast of North Africa, or even 12nm if that's what it takes!

 

[Penguin]

Search and rescue operations moving closer to the Libyan coast line

https://ec.europa.eu/epsc/publications/strategic-notes/irregular-migration-central-mediterranean_en

Search and rescue operations by agency / ship operator, 2014-2016

Today a total of nine NGOs have a fleet of fourteen ships and two drones conducting SAR activities. As a result, NGOs were responsible for as many as 22% of all rescues in the Central Mediterranean in 2016. Still the dominant actors, the Italian Navy and Custom Police (26%) and the Italian Coast Guard (20%) together represented a little less than half of rescue efforts. Rescues by merchant marine vessels declined significantly, to 8% while EU operations Triton and EUNavFor Sophia accounted for 25% of rescues

Typically, NGOs operate in a range of 10 to 50 km (5.5 - 27 nmi) off the Libyan coast.

EU NavFor/Sophia’.9 operates within the Libyan SAR zone (which spreads up to 200 nautical miles south of Sicily). However, the ships remain strictly outside Libyan territorial waters – i.e. the zone between 12 and 62 nautical miles north of the Libyan coast

 

[ValerioAurelius]

its pure comedy but will soon come to an end.

Italian state procesurs already say those NGo are criminals, their taregt is weakening economy of Italy. The media started to shot at them recently and portray them as terrorists. Our justice minister said he stands 100% behind the accusations.

 

[Penguin]

its pure comedy but will soon come to an end.

Italian state procesurs already say those NGo are criminals, their taregt is weakening economy of Italy. The media started to shot at them recently and portray them as terrorists. Our justice minister said he stands 100% behind the accusations.

If so, take them to court. The media is not the proper place to evaluate accusations or evidence.

 

[Penguin]

We already do. But linking them to crime in Public is more effective. It crested tension and Blocks their work

We call that mud-slinging and don't approve of it.

 

[Penguin]

Why? Its just that evry prove is made public. Its a fact those on the boats had phone numbers from NGO. The public has a right to know.

I believe this thread discusses the allegations againt Italian Coast Guard and navy, not any NGOs. The latter are of no consequence in relation to the former.

 

[Penguin]

What allegation? Italian coast guard saves italians in danger at sea.

As I have been pointing out. WHich of course doesn't preclude the incident and allegations

 

[Penguin]

The "incident" lol. You should get used to it, because it will be the new standard.

I should hope not, particularly as Italy is an EU country and will have to comply to EU standards if it wished to continue to receive finance from the EU. But if that is what Italians want to risk... their choice. Countries that pride themselve on inhumanitarian behavior ("oh look at how tough we are") tend to not last long in international cooperative settings.

The "incident" lol. You should get used to it, because it will be the new standard.

Yes, incident. How many other similar instances have there been already, eh? Done polling yet?

 

[T-123456]

Damn it! Patrol 24nm off shore of the coast of North Africa, or even 12nm if that's what it takes!

Wouldnt they have to make a deal with the North African countries for that(12nm)?

This is the new EU standard. In case you didnt notice several EU nations press for it. Hungary, Czech, Poland, Slovakia, Austria and Italy. EU retreated Frontex and Italian coast guard retreats as well. Now NGO are targeted as well and they get criminalized.

We are not responsible for the world. If you try cross the Med with a rubber boat, then you die. Its that easy.

This has nothing to do with inhumanitarian. Each one who makes it here is nothing but a burden. If you believ3 we poison ourself just too look nice, then you are mistaken. They can try cross atlantic and go USA. Herenits over. One must be really retarded to believe Italy can endure hordes from there. We took 180.000 thats enough for next 500 years.

You should stop acting like you represent the Italian government.

 

[Yaseen1]

u.s who has largest navy should provide ships for these refugees for safe migration

 

[T-123456]

I represent myself. What my government represents can be seen in the news and im happy about the recent development. If we dont stop this now, we would need much more drastic methods later. What you suggest? Sinking them with machine guns?

Pushing the boats back is the solution. Otherwise you attract more and cause more death.

The only solution is to make sure that no-one gets on a boat to Europe,which means that there need to be deals made with Libya,Egypt,Tunisia,Algeria,Morocco.

 

[Penguin]

This is the new EU standard. In case you didnt notice several EU nations press for it. Hungary, Czech, Poland, Slovakia, Austria and Italy. EU retreated Frontex and Italian coast guard retreats as well. Now NGO are targeted as well and they get criminalized.

I doubt it, sincerely. Not in the last place because of the countries above only 2 are not land-locked. Countries with usefull naval assets will be setting standards in actuality.

We are not responsible for the world. If you try cross the Med with a rubber boat, then you die. Its that easy.

This has nothing to do with inhumanitarian. Each one who makes it here is nothing but a burden. If you believ3 we poison ourself just too look nice, then you are mistaken. They can try cross atlantic and go USA. Herenits over. One must be really retarded to believe Italy can endure hordes from there. We took 180.000 thats enough for next 500 years.

Thanks for taking this thread waaay off topic. Most usefull. Really helped.

Please do not confuse you opion or hope or interpretation for fact or actual policy.

Now, please stop quoting, answering or otherwise bothering me. I don't like extremes, whether left, right, religions or non-releigions. Small people.

Wouldnt they have to make a deal with the North African countries for that(12nm)?

Full territorlial sovereignty applies up to 12nm out to sea (territorial sea)

Article33
Contiguous zone
1. In a zone contiguous to its territorial sea, described as the contiguous zone, the coastal State may exercise the control necessary to:
(a) prevent infringement of its customs, fiscal, immigration or sanitary laws and regulations within its territory or territorial sea;
(b) punish infringement of the above laws and regulations committed within its territory or territorial sea.
2. The contiguous zone may not extend beyond 24 nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured.

So, for example, you don't have to stop persuit at 12nmi but can go out to 24nmi in hot persuit of perpetrators (but the offence took place in territorial sea).

This is outside of territorial waters (strictly speaking, here's were international waters start)

 

[Penguin]

Why dont you stop Posting? Your ignorance and hate for Italia makes me sick.

What BS. Hate? If anything - and this goes to show how poorly you read - I've been defending Italy in this thread. As for ignorance, well, the fact you resort to this kind of remark in response to the observation that 'Europe' may in fact be not so uniform, and that you neither represent Italy nor Europe, actually shows where the real lack of knowledge (and skill to acquire it) resides.

Good luck keeping a your mind closed.

 

[Penguin]

Oh please enlighten me. So you want italy to ship in millions? Who cares for security and properity, when we Just can comitt cultural suicide?

Again, try reading the start of the thread, which you have taken completely off topic. Do not put words in my mouth: I've not said ANYTHING about what I want Italy to do or not. As for your last statement: this says enough about what preoccupies your mind. Which is fine, so long as you don't pretend that's what's in all our European minds.