Another Migrant Ship Sinking Leaves 10 Passengers Dead

Over the weekend, at least 10 deaths occurred in the Mediterranean after a ship sank between Libya and Lampedusa. 70 others, including a pregnant woman, were rescued.

Italy’s Navy and Coast Guard continued to search for possible survivors. It was unclear as to how many passengers were onboard the vessel, or how many were still missing.

A local news report out of Italy regarding the incident referred to the ship's passengers as migrants, most likely from North Africa.

Lampedusa, the closest Italian island to Africa, has become a destination for thousands of refugees seeking to enter European Union countries. Migrant vessels are generally in extreme risk at sea. Human rights monitoring group, Amnesty International, reported at least 1,500 deaths last year of people attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea; most of which were preventable.

Photo (thumb): Africa (right, on horizon) and Europe (left), as seen from Gibraltar.