ITALY: Hundreds of migrants continue to arrive on Italian shores as dozens more bodies are recovered following last week's boat sinking off the island of Lampedusa

Record ID: 348618

  • Title: ITALY: Hundreds of migrants continue to arrive on Italian shores as dozens more bodies are recovered following last week's boat sinking off the island of Lampedusa
  • Date: 8th October 2013
  • Summary: LAMPEDUSA, ITALY (OCTOBER 8, 2013) (REUTERS) COASTGUARD BOAT ARRIVING AT PORT WITH SOLDIERS WEARING WHITE GLOVES AND MASKS WAITING TO RECEIVE BODIES TWO ERITREAN MIGRANTS WHO SURVIVED THE WRECK WATCHING FROM SHORE BODY BAG BEING MOVED SOLDIERS PUTTING UP SHEET SO PEOPLE CAN SEE BODIES BEING MOVED VARIOUS ERITREAN MIGRANTS WHO SURVIVED THE WRECK ON SHORE SOLDIERS MOVING
  • Embargoed: 23rd October 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Italy
  • Country: Italy
  • Topics: International Relations,Disasters / Accidents / Natural catastrophes
  • Reuters ID: LVAAGPK5K72MTTW8LKZY9L73FTTB
  • Story Text: Hundreds of migrants continued to arrive on Italian shores late on Monday evening (October 7) with several boats being identified close to the southern Sicilian coastline.
    72 migrants, including 16 children and 20 women believed to be of Iraqi, Afghan and Syrian nationalities arrived on a coastguard boat at the port of Syracuse close to midnight.
    Another boat carrying a further 141 migrants believed to be of Syrian origin is also being escorted into shore and set to arrive on Wednesday (October 9).
    The arrivals come despite a boat sinking off the coast of Lampedusa on Thursday (October 3) in which as many as 300 migrants died.
    In a near continuous flow, scores of migrant bodies were brought to shore on Tuesday (October 8) plucked from the wreck of the ship off the coast of the southern Italian island.
    Diving teams have been working throughout the day with coastguard officials putting the number of bodies retrieved on Tuesday at 48, including that of a small child.
    Over 270 bodies are currently placed in coffins at the airport in a temporary morgue.
    Several Eritrean migrants who survived the shipwreck gathered with the local islanders to watch from shore as the bodies were unloaded. This time soldiers wearing mouth masks and white gloves held up a green sheet to hide their gruesome work from prying eyes.

    "These poor things they must feel terrible, these people do not know the sea, they can't swim," said Lampedusan resident Pasquale Policardo.

    "None of them can swim, no one. This terrible thing has happened, it's not just 20 or 30 people dead it's 300 or 400. If you look at the Costa Concordia there were about 5,000 people and 30 died, here on this small ship, many more, it is a global tragedy," he added.
    More than 300 people may have perished after last week's shipwreck but no one knows exactly how many people were onboard the vessel as it made the journey across the sea to Italy. Only 155 people survived.
    On Wednesday (October 9), European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta will visit Lampedusa as lawmakers, activists and even the local mayor push for policy changes to prevent shipwrecks, ensure refugee rights, and improve conditions for the thousands who make the journey.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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