Migrant boat capsizes off Libyan coast, hundreds dead

Transcription

1 Migrant boat capsizes off Libyan coast, hundreds dead By Los Angeles Times, adapted by Newsela staff on Word Count 976 Survivors of the boat that overturned off the coast of Libya lie on the deck of the Italian Coast Guard ship Bruno Gregoretti, in Malta's Grand Harbour, April 20, Photo: AP/Lino Azzopardi CATANIA, Italy Hundreds of people were feared lost in the Mediterranean Sea after a boat carrying migrants toward Europe capsized off the Libyan coast, authorities said. The incident appeared to be the latest and deadliest in a series of mass drownings. A survivor from Bangladesh, flown by helicopter to Sicily, told Italian police that 950 people were on board the vessel. The disaster could be the worst yet among the tragedies that have become commonplace on the migrant smuggling route from North Africa to Europe. Many People Had No Way Out As of Monday afternoon, just 28 migrants had been found alive as search-andrescue vessels and aircraft combed the area, officials said. The Italian government said that 24 survivors had been picked up from the water.

2 They are literally trying to find people alive among the dead floating in the water, Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat told the local press. Italian and Maltese vessels were searching the area, along with merchant ships. Authorities said passengers were believed to be from Algeria, Egypt, Somalia, Nigeria, Senegal, Mali, Zambia, Bangladesh and Ghana. They included 200 women and 40 to 50 children. The unidentified Bangladeshi survivor said many passengers were locked in lower decks and unable to escape when the boat capsized. With so many people crammed onto the boat, it would have taken little to unbalance the ship. Panicked Passengers May Have Tipped The Boat The boat had departed from a port about 30 miles from Tripoli. Other survivors, who were still at sea on an Italian coast guard vessel, were being questioned. The stricken boat was reported to have capsized late Saturday or early Sunday about 70 miles north of the Libyan coast. Coastal Libya is the embarkation point for many Europe-bound vessels packed with migrants. Initial reports indicated that the boat tipped over when panicked passengers shifted to one side as a cargo ship, the King Jacob, approached about midnight Saturday in a bid to rescue those on the rickety craft. The crew of the King Jacob had been asked by authorities to intercept migrants in distress if they encountered them. Most migrants on the Mediterranean boats are from sub-saharan Africa, but their ranks include Syrians and others escaping warfare and poverty and hoping to start new lives in Europe. Many women and children are among those risking the hazardous passage. European Leaders Sound Off A crisis has gripped the southern Mediterranean as spring-like weather has prompted many migrants to risk their lives on overcrowded and unsound boats bound for Italy. Extensive smuggling networks in Libya and elsewhere in North Africa enable the illegal traffic. Officials say the unstable political situation in Libya has contributed to the escalating crisis. The country has been largely without a functioning government since its leader Moammar Gadhafi was overthrown in Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi declared that Europe was experiencing systematic slaughter in the Mediterranean. Whether the latest incident would result in a new European strategy to confront the crisis remained unclear. However, several European leaders said that continuing to handle the situation in the same way would be unacceptable.

3 Europe can do more and Europe must do more, said Martin Schulz, president of the European Parliament. Europe must mobilize more ships, more overflights by aircraft, French President Francois Hollande told French TV. Mediterranean Sea Deaths Soaring Pope Francis, too, called for greater efforts. I make a heartfelt appeal to the international community to react decisively and quickly to see to it that such tragedies are not repeated, he said in his weekly address to followers in St. Peter s Square. He asked the crowd to pray for these brothers and sisters. Officials have reported soaring numbers of migrant deaths in the Mediterranean. Before the latest incident, about 900 migrants had already perished in Mediterranean crossings so far this year, compared with 96 during the first four months of Last week, at least 400 Europe-bound migrants are believed to have perished at sea when a wooden fishing boat capsized. One-third of those on board were reported to have been women and children. That incident, like the latest one, was believed to have been caused by migrants surging to one side of the boat when they saw rescuers arriving. Traffickers Have Steady Business For all of 2014, more than 3,200 migrants lost their lives during the treacherous sea crossing. In the week before Saturday s accident, Italian maritime forces and commercial ships had rescued about 10,000 migrants. An Italian navy search-and-rescue operation, known as Mare Nostrum, was called off last year. Opponents claimed it was encouraging migrants to set sail. However, since it was replaced by a smaller, European Union patrol known as Triton, sailings have continued at about the same level. Meanwhile, drownings have soared. At a news conference in Rome, Renzi said the incident would have happened even if Mare Nostrum had been operating. There was a ship next to the boat when it sank, he said. Renzi urged international cooperation to halt instability in Libya, where a power vacuum allows traffickers to operate. European Policies Questioned Nevertheless, Loris De Filippi, president of the Italian branch of the organization Doctors Without Borders, blamed the European Union s decision to provide only a small-scale rescue effort this year.

4 A mass grave is being created in the Mediterranean Sea and European policies are responsible, he said in a statement. Faced with thousands of desperate people fleeing wars and crises, Europe has closed borders, forcing people in search of protection to risk their lives and die at sea, he said. European states must immediately launch large-scale search-and-rescue operations, with proactive patrolling as close as possible to Libyan shores, he added. Antonio Guterres, the United Nations high commissioner for refugees, agreed. This disaster confirms the urgent need to relaunch a robust rescue operation at sea and to establish credible, legal routes to reach Europe.

5 Quiz 1 Select the paragraph from the section "Mediterranean Sea Deaths Soaring" that MOST contributes to the central idea of the article that the deaths are an international problem. 2 Which of the following would make a good title for the introduction [paragraphs 1-2]? "Deadly Tragedy On The Mediterranean Sea" "Bangladesh Survivor Speaks" "Migrant Smuggling" "The Journey From North Africa To Europe" 3 According to the article, why is Libya a point of embarkation? Libya is central to the countries that migrants are fleeing from. Libya does not have a functioning government and that allows traffickers to operate more easily. Libya's economy is suffering, so traffickers help the economy. Libya has a thriving dock that allows many traffickers to sneak past authorities. 4 According to the article, how are European policies partially responsible for the deaths in the Mediterranean Sea? The policies provide only small-scale rescue and have closed borders, which force migrants to use dangerous routes into Europe. The policies encourage migrants to use dangerous routes into Europe because there is a large search and rescue operation, Mare Nostrum. The policies provide difficult legal ways into Europe, so migrants choose to use dangerous routes instead. The policies do not focus enough on the particular dangers the sea creates for migrants.