14 killed, 200 missing in migrant shipwreck south of Italy

At least 14 people died and around 200 others went missing when a boat packed with migrants sank between Libya and southern Sicily, Italy, on Monday. The boat carrying as many as 400 Italy-bound North Africans, according to survivors, capsized some 185 km south of Lampedusa island, Italy's southmost point. Around 215 survivors were rescued. Naval forces and merchant ships were working tirelessly to rescue people on board, but as time passed, the possibility of finding new survivors was shrinking, La Stampa newspaper said. The wreck, the latest in a long series of similar tragedies, sparked an immediate debate in Italy about the increasing waves of migrants arriving every year, especially in summer and good weather conditions. "The flows of migrants have become incessant, they are continuously arriving in Italy," President of the Italian Red Cross Francesco Rocca said, stressing that the country is incapable of facing the migrant crisis with its own strength. Last week, as many as 1,000 asylum seekers landed in Sicily, the latest arrivals adding to more than 25,000 migrants who had reached Italy in the first few months of this year. Most of the migrants are reportedly from sub-Saharan Africa, with an increasing number from Syria and the Palestinian territories. The unsustainable overcrowded conditions in Italy's migrant centers have repeatedly been exposed. The Interior Ministry had estimated earlier this month that some 800,000 North Africans were poised to set off for Europe. In fact, most of the migrants landing in Italy have different final destinations in Europe, experts have found. But the EU "is letting Italy accommodate the survivors," Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said on Monday, complaining "Europe is not helping Italy." Echoing his words, Justice Minister Andrea Orlando highlighted a serious "cooperation deficit" at the European and international level, calling for a "strong signal" from European authorities. Italian authorities have said that sea operations are insufficient to prevent more fatalities and have called for the creation of a "humanitarian corridor" and greater support for rescue and resettlement efforts from the EU. Rescue operations for sea patrol missions cost the Italian government more than 9 million euros (12.3 million U.S. dollars) every month.