Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

Four migrants found dead on packed cargo ship brought to Italy | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
Select Page
Media ID: 55339944
Caption:

Hundreds of migrants are seen on board the decks of the Moldovan-flagged Blue Sky M cargo ship after it docked at the Italian port of Gallipoli in the early hours of December 31, 2014. (EPA/Biagio Claudio Longo)


Hundreds of migrants are seen on board the decks of the Moldovan-flagged Blue Sky M cargo ship after it docked at the Italian port of Gallipoli in the early hours of December 31, 2014. (EPA/Biagio Claudio Longo)

Hundreds of migrants are seen on board the decks of the Moldovan-flagged Blue Sky M cargo ship after it docked at the Italian port of Gallipoli in the early hours of December 31, 2014. (EPA/Biagio Claudio Longo)

Rome, Reuters—Four migrants were found dead on a cargo ship that was taken to Italy after apparently being abandoned by its crew in Greek waters, the Italian Red Cross said on Wednesday.

The Blue Sky M was carrying an estimated 900 migrants when it was spotted drifting near the coast of Corfu on Tuesday.

Greece sent its navy and coastguard with a military helicopter to the scene in response to an alarm call about a possible incident on the ship and Italian coast guard officials later boarded to check if it could navigate properly.

Most of the people on board were Syrian, Red Cross spokeswoman Mimma Antonagi told Reuters from the province of Lecce where the migrants arrived.

The exact number of people on board is still not known, Antonagi said. Italian authorities had originally thought there were 600-700 passengers, by the time the ship reached the small port city of Gallipoli, the estimated number had risen.

The dead have been taken to a hospital and survivors to public buildings where an identification process is underway. They are believed to be illegal immigrants.

Greek state television reported on Tuesday that the alarm was raised because armed men were on board, but the defence and shipping ministries did not confirm this.

Civil war in Syria and anarchy in Libya have swelled the number of people crossing the Mediterranean in rickety boats this year, often bound for Italy and Greece.

The United Nations refugee agency says 160,000 seaborne migrants arrived in Italy by November 2014 and a further 40,000 in Greece. Thousands more have died attempting the journey.