Funerals for 24 people killed in the worst ever recorded capsizing of a migrant boat in the Mediterranean sea have been held in Malta.
An estimated 800 people died in Sunday’s disaster. Italian police say the captain crashed the boat by mistake against a merchant rescue ship.
The Catania, Italy, prosecutor’s office announced Tuesday that the vessel’s 27-year-old captain, Mohammed Ali Malek, and crew member Mahmud Bikhit have been arrested on suspicion of “reckless shipwreck, multiple manslaughter and abetting clandestine immigration” for their roles in the disaster. (CNN)
European Union (EU) leaders met for an emergency summit to discuss ways on how to deal with the ever increasing numbers of migrants who risk their lives at the Mediterranean sea to get into Europe.
The latest tragedy raised the death toll to around 1,800 so far this year, compared to fewer than 100 who died before the end of April last year, when a similar number attempted the journey. More than 21,000 people are estimated to have reached Italy this year.
