Italian coastal patrol vessels were searching the Mediterranean on Saturday for the bodies of 73 African migrants believed to have died on a dinghy that ran out of fuel during an attempted crossing to Italy from Libya.
Five Eritreans rescued in the dinghy off the Italian island of Lampedusa have told officials they jettisoned passengers who perished for lack of food and water in their three weeks at sea, during which time 10 vessels spotted them. Only one stopped.
Laura Boldrini, a UN spokesperson, said commercial vessels were “not encouraged to save migrants following episodes such as the four-day row in April between Italy and Malta over who should take in 140 migrants picked up by a Turkish vessel”.
Avvenire, the newspaper of the Italian bishops’ conference, stated in a front page editorial on Saturday that the shunning of the migrants at sea was akin to ignoring the deportation of Jews during World War II. “Then it was terror and totalitarianism which shut their eyes. Today it is quiet indifference, if not irritated distaste,” it wrote.
Maltese officials alerted Italian counterparts to the migrants after a Maltese patrol found them at sea, a Maltese official said. “The assistance required by international obligations was given,” he added.
One Eritrean said they were handed fuel and life jackets during the encounter with the Maltese, two days before the Italians picked them up. “One of the crew turned on the motor because we were too weak, and then indicated the route we were to follow. Then, mindless of our conditions, they left,” said the survivor.
Italian news agency Adnkronos quoted an unnamed Maltese official as saying the migrants had not asked to be rescued, a claim denied by the migrants.
Italy and Libya are running joint sea patrols which have turned back 1 000 migrants since May. UN officials argue genuine asylum seekers are being returned with no chance to apply for asylum. – guardian.co.uk