30 Migrants Disappeared In New Shipwreck In Mediterranean Sea

On Sunday, the Italian Coast Guard confirmed that at least 30 migrants disappeared after the boat from which they had sailed from Lybia was shipwrecked in the Mediterranean sea. 

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Other 17 migrants aboard the boat could be rescued by the freighter "Froland," which headed for Malta to disembark two migrants who needed urgent medical attention. The Italian Coast Guard currently searches other possible survivors in the area.

The Alarm Phone, an NGO which attends to distress calls of immigrants in the Mediterranean sea, first informed European authorities about the danger faced by the ship carrying the migrants on Saturday. However, none of the countries in the area sent help.

The Italian Coast Guard alleged that Lybia should be responsible for the rescue operations because the ship sank in its maritime space. This African country, however, could not act due to a lack of patrol boats.

Lybian authorities then asked for help from the Italian Maritime Relief Coordination Centre, which sent an alarm message to the ships sailing in the surroundings. Although four merchant ships responded to this request, only the Froland arrived in time to rescue 17 people.

“A new relief omission and a new tragedy,” the Sea Watch stated, recalling that at least 76 migrants died in the waters near the Italian Calabria region in a similar shipwreck last week.

"Italy and the other European Union countries must take responsibility for the rescue at sea of migrants. Immediately, in all cases, human lives must be protected," the Sea Watch stated.