Charges officially filed in Lampedusa tragedy
The Prosecution in Agrigento, Italy, has pressed official charges against the captain of the boat sinking off the coast of Lampedusa on3 October 2013, leaving at least 232 persons dead.
The boat carrying African migrants from Somalia and Eritrea capsized about 1 km off the Mediterranean coast of Lampedusa.A total of 155 people have been survived, some of whom were in the water for three hours, clinging to anything buoyant – even empty water bottles, and the final death toll could rise to between 325 and 363 individuals according to reports.
Khaled ben Salam, 35-year old, has been arrested as the suspected captain of the boat, Italian media sources report. The national of Tunisia Ben Salam allegedly set fire to a T-shirt toattract attention of Coast Guards,when it ran into trouble.
The20-metre migrant boat had travelled for two full days and those aboard thought they had reached safety when they saw the lights of Lampedusa.
Ben Salem is believed to have been responsible for a similar voyage in April in which he was arrested after bringing 250 immigrants to Lampedusa.
The Lampedusa tragedy brings to lightEuropean Union’s illegal immigration problems. EU Interior Ministers will meet to settle on a reaction to the Lampedusa tragedy.
Koji Sekimizu, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization, has expressed his deep shock at the heavy loss of life in the incident off the Italian island of Lampedusa last week.
