Mediterranean boat captain charged over death of hundreds

Rescued migrants off the Libyan coast arrive at the harbour in Catania, Italy on April 20, 2015. PHOTO | ALBERTO PIZZOLI |

What you need to know:

  • Seaman and another crew member on the spot over illegal immigration.
  • European Union to step up search and rescue efforts.

CATANIA, Italy

The Tunisian captain of a boat that capsized off Libya on Sunday, killing hundreds of migrants, has been charged with reckless multiple homicide, Italian officials say.

Mohammed Ali Malek, 27, has also been charged along with a member of the crew, 25-year-old Syrian Mahmud Bikhit, with favouring illegal immigration.

The two were among 27 survivors who arrived in Sicily late on Monday.

Prosecutors in the Sicilian city of Catania said the boat had collided with a Portuguese container ship just before it capsized but absolved the crew of the merchant vessel of any responsibility for the tragedy.

They said the boat had keeled over after the collision which had been caused by steering mistakes by the captain and the panicked movements of the hundreds of migrants packed onto the 20-metre former fishing trawler.

The prosecutors said they would be asking a judge later on Tuesday to authorise the two men’s extended detention pending further investigation.

The charges come after the European Union set out a package of measures to try to ease the migrant crisis in the Mediterranean.

Search-and-rescue operations will be stepped up, and there will be a campaign to destroy traffickers’ boats.

A homicide investigation has been opened into the disaster.

LOOKED EXHAUSTED

After speaking to the survivors, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said about 800 people had died in Sunday’s disaster. Earlier accounts had put the death toll at about 700.

“There were a little over 800 people on board, including children aged between 10 and 12,” said Carlotta Sami, of the UN refugee agency in Italy.

“There were Syrians, about 150 Eritreans, Somalis … They had left Tripoli at about 8am on Saturday.”

The survivors stood still on the rescue boat. They looked exhausted. One shook hands with the mayor of Catania and put his hand to his chest in a gesture of thanks.

Francesco Rocca, who runs the Italian Red Cross, said: “They are under shock, completely shocked. They repeat their phrases about the fact that they are the only survivors in the tragedy.

“Some of them want to speak, some of them want to stay silent. You can imagine they are under a lot of pressure. It’s the first time I see such a high level of shock. It’s clear from their eyes.”

Two survivors told rescue workers that they stayed afloat by clinging to bodies of their fellow passengers.