Three migrants drown trying to reach Italy
Three migrants drowned and six more were missing in the Mediterranean off Italy, the coastguard said on Tuesday, the latest deadly incidents to hit refugees making the treacherous sea crossing from north Africa to Europe.
Three people perished and two more were washed away when their inflatable dinghy approached a Maltese oil tanker coming to their aid, the emergency services said.
In a separate incident, four migrants from the Central African Republic fell from a rope ladder connecting a merchant ship with their stricken vessel and were swept away, according to the ship's captain.
Two suspected smugglers were arrested after arriving with rescued refugees at the Sicilian port of Pozzallo, Italian news agency ANSA reported.
The incidents follow the arrival of 2,000 migrants in Italy on Monday after an international operation to rescue refugees packed into 25 boats travelling from Libya.
Rome says more than 50,000 migrants have landed in Italy by sea so far this year, a similar number to those who arrived in all of 2013.
Comments
See Also
Three people perished and two more were washed away when their inflatable dinghy approached a Maltese oil tanker coming to their aid, the emergency services said.
In a separate incident, four migrants from the Central African Republic fell from a rope ladder connecting a merchant ship with their stricken vessel and were swept away, according to the ship's captain.
Two suspected smugglers were arrested after arriving with rescued refugees at the Sicilian port of Pozzallo, Italian news agency ANSA reported.
The incidents follow the arrival of 2,000 migrants in Italy on Monday after an international operation to rescue refugees packed into 25 boats travelling from Libya.
Rome says more than 50,000 migrants have landed in Italy by sea so far this year, a similar number to those who arrived in all of 2013.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.