Death in the Mediterranean: 150 bodies found after boat accident

The bodies of some 150 migrants have been found off Tunisia’s coast after a boat bound for Europe capsized on Wednesday. Several people are still missing.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), this appears to be one of the worst and the deadliest incidents in the Mediterranean so far this year.

The overcrowded boat carried an estimated 850 people mostly from West Africa, Pakistan and Bangladesh. It set sail on Saturday from the Libyan capital Tripoli and was headed for the Italian island of Lampedusa.

More than 580 people were saved, but some 250 went missing as the boat capsized. The rescue operation by the Tunisian navy and coast guard began on Wednesday and is still continuing.

According to survivors interviewed by UNHCR, people with little or no maritime experience manned the boat. It ran into difficulty soon after departure and experienced difficulty with its steering and power. By the third day, the boat ran aground on a sandbank near the Kerkennah islands some 300 kilometers northwest of Tripoli. It capsized as the passengers rushed to one side to reach the Tunisian coast guard and fishing boats that had approached the vessel.

Italy has faced a massive influx of refugees since the beginning of the uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East. Since January, at least 25.000 have arrived in Lampedusa alone. Italy has complained it is not getting enough help from other member states of the European Union to deal with the influx. This has prompted some European countries to warn they may re-introduce border controls.

(Anne Allmeling, a contributor to Al Arabiya English, can be reached at: [email protected])