ABOUT 250 Eritrean and Somali boat people, including women and children, are believed to have drowned yesterday morning when their small vessel got into difficulties in storm conditions, 40 miles (65km) south of the Italian Mediterranean island of Lampedusa.
Late on Tuesday night, Maltese coastguard officials received a distress signal, apparently relayed from the sinking vessel itself by a satellite phone on board. Two Italian coastguard vessels, a helicopter and a fishing trawler in the area immediately went to the rescue of the vessel believed to have set off two days ago from Zuwarah in war-torn Libya.
It was 5.30 yesterday morning before the coastguard vessels intercepted the migrants’ 13m (43ft) boat, by which time it was in serious difficulties due to force six winds. Italian media reports claim the rescue was greatly hampered not only by the rough conditions but also by panic on the vessel which had sprung a serious leak. The panic seems to have caused the boat to capsize, throwing passengers into the water.
It was unclear yesterday just how many people have drowned in the tragedy. Fifty-one survivors were picked up but some have indicated there could have been more than 300 people on the vessel.
Notwithstanding this tragedy, boat people continued to arrive in Lampedusa yesterday.
While some 7,000 boat people were shipped off the island over the weekend, media reports claimed that continuing arrivals meant there were almost 1,500 – mainly Tunisian – migrants on the island last night.
Lampedusa port commandant Antonio Morana spoke of a new development in the boat-people’s journey when he noted that 104 Tunisians, who arrived in Lampedusa early yesterday morning, had done so without the help of an experienced sailor or “trafficker”.
This particular group had clubbed together to buy themselves a boat and a GPS navigator, at a cost of €400 a head. With their GPS but no nautical skills, they had set off for Lampedusa, risking their lives in the rough conditions.
“We simply cannot allow hundreds of people to be sent out to die in a stormy sea like this,” said Cmdt Morana.
This week both prime minister Silvio Berlusconi and interior minister Roberto Maroni visited Tunisia to broker a deal which would both block the mass departure from Tunisian shores, while allowing for repatriation of many of those who have arrived in Italy.
Furthermore, Italy has indicated that it might grant temporary residence permits to Tunisian migrants, thus effectively allowing them to continue their journey, which for many is France-bound as they attempt to connect with relatives resident in that country.