About 75 illegal immigrants from Africa have died while traveling on a crowded rubber dinghy between Libya and Italy. It is thought many succumbed to hunger or thirst, with reports some may have drowned after their boat lost power. It is the latest loss of life in a series of maritime incidents in the region involving people smugglers.
Earlier this year, Italy and Libya began joint naval patrols in the Mediterranean to try to prevent the passage of illegal migrants. Italian coastguards picked up five survivors from the 12ft vessel, found drifting in Italian waters between Malta and the tiny island of Lampedusa. The survivors - a woman, a child and three Eritrean men - told rescuers that they had set out from the Libyan coast three weeks ago but had run out of food, water and fuel.
The survivors said many died after drinking sea water and their bodies were thrown overboard. Italian police are unable to verify the story immediately but give credence to the account of the survivors, two of whom are in a serious condition in hospital. Many African migrants from across the continent gather in Libya to make the crossing to Europe, with hundreds of arriving every month on the island of Lampedusa.
From there they are taken by officials to detention centres on the Italian mainland, for identification and eventual expulsion. Italy has recently introduced new legislation making it a crime to enter the country illegally, punishable by imprisonment and fines. However, this doesn't appear to have created any great deterrent. Hundreds of thousands still wait on the shores of north Africa for the chance to cross over to Europe, despite the serious risk to their lives.
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