Italy mourned the 300 African asylum-seekers feared dead on Friday in the worst ever Mediterranean refugee disaster, as the Government appealed for Europe to stem the influx of migrants. As the grim search for bodies off the island of lampedusa continued, an emotional Pope Francis said today should be “a day of tears” for a “savage world” that ignored the plight of refugees.
Emergency services on the remote island — Italy’s southernmost point — said they had recovered 111 bodies so far and rescued 155 survivors from a boat with an estimated 450 to 500 people on board. Divers who explored the wreck spoke of seeing dozens of bodies in and around the ship and rescuers said more bodies may have been swept further out to sea by strong currents.
Divers were unable to descend to the wreck today because of choppy conditions but coast guard vessels scoured the surface for more corpses. “After these deaths, we are expecting something to change. Things cannot stay the same,” the mayor of lampedusa, Giusi Nicolini, told reporters. “The future of lampedusa is directly linked to policies on immigration and asylum,” she said. Interior Minister Angelino Alfano appealed for greater European assistance in patrolling and more action in Africa to stem the flow of refugee crossings. “This sea is the border between Africa and Europe, not between Africa and Sicily,” he added.