More migrant deaths in the Mediterranean

(Vatican Radio) Yet another tragedy has been reported in the Sea of Sicily. The Italian Navy on Monday rescued 61 migrants from a sinking vessel aboard which there were 5 dead bodies.

The migrants said that at their departure from Libya, there were about 80 people on board. 
Meanwhile, 19 people were found dead on Saturday on a boat packed with hundreds of migrants trying to reach Italy.

The Italian Navy, which has rescued more than 4000 migrants in the past few days, said they were probably poisoned by carbon monoxide fumes from its engines.

A similar incident last month killed 30.

Italy is struggling to keep up with the number of migrant boats this year, which mostly depart from the coast of increasingly unstable Libya.

The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) estimates that more than 500 migrants have died in the Mediterranean so far this year, compared to 700 during the whole of last year.

Carlotta Sami, spokesperson for UNHCR, told Vatican Radio that Italy is seeking more help from the EU in both rescue mission and in hosting new arrivals.

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Sami says that “considering the fact that in so many countries not so far from Europe like Syria and Libya, and also many African countries, the situation is worsening day by day, we are assisting to increased arrivals of refugees in Europe”.

She says that what is need is a medium and long-term strategy “based on solidarity in order to provide to all these desperate people a legal alternative” so that they can access Europe in a legal way, “not risking their lives every day crossing the Mediterranean”.