Death toll of fresh migrant crossing to Italy rises to 45

The death toll of the victims of the latest unfortunate migrant crossing from North Africa to Italy rose to 45 on Wednesday as the navy ship carrying the corpses landed in Sicily Island.
The dead migrants had been previously estimated to be around 30, but the exact number was unclear because the corpses were lying in the narrowest part of the migrant boat, according to rescue teams.
"They were all piled upon one another as the space was too small for such a number of people," a doctor who was inspecting the corpses was quoted as saying by ANSA news agency. He added that there could be some minors among the victims.
The packed boat where the victims were believed to have suffocated in the overcrowded space was carrying nearly 600 migrants, more than double the boat's capacity, according to Italian police.
The boat was rescued and escorted to safety on Sunday night by an Italian navy ship. "We had asked to go back because we were too many and the risk was high, but there was nothing to do," one of the survivors was quoted as saying by ANSA.
"They (the smugglers) said that we already were there and we had to arrive in Italy," he added.
More than 5,000 migrants were saved off the coast of the Mediterranean country last weekend alone in the government's Mare Nostrum (Our Sea) search-and-rescue mission which was launched after a tragic wreckage in October.
With the latest rescue operations, the total number of African migrants who have landed in Italy since the start of this year has reached around 65,000, according to official figures.
Italy is spending a monthly budget of over 9 million euros (12 million U.S. dollars) for sea patrol and is feeling distraught with the deadly crossings that keep continuing.
Local experts have warned that not only the high-seas rescue operations are encouraging people traffickers to increase illegal crossings, but also pose a threat to the health of Italian population.
Eight Italian soldiers involved in the sea patrol have been recently found positive for tuberculosis (TB), while there are fears that serious illnesses such as ebola may be brought to Italy from Africa.
The Italian government has repeatedly called on the European Union (EU) to take a bigger role in the emergency and to help develop a common strategy in dealing with the influx.
Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has stressed that the migration issue will be a major point to address during the Italian rotating presidency of the EU which began on Tuesday.