Wednesday, October 9, 2013

State Funeral For Shipwrecked African Migrants

 

 
 Italy's Prime Minister Enrico Letta has said the country is hold a state funeral for the hundreds of migrants who died after their boat capsized close to the island of Lampedusa last Thursday.
photo
He made the announcement during a visit to the island with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.

Mr Barroso pledged $40m of EU funds to help refugees in Italy.

At least 274 people, mostly from Eritrea and Somalia, died in the wreck.

Of more than 500 people on board, only 155 have survived, reports say.

It is one of Italy's worst disasters involving a boat carrying Europe-bound migrants from Africa.

Lampedusa is a key destination for such boats with many residents long complained that the authorities in Italy and the European Union are not doing enough to deal with the thousands of migrants who come ashore each year.

No comments:

Post a Comment