Hundreds feared dead after dinghies capsize in Mediterranean

[shenmue]

Story here

The victims were enroute from Libya to Italy. It is believed they were migrant workers whose transport was arranged by human traffickers.

[Liberal_in_LA]

1. oh no!

[JustAnotherGen]

2. Welcome to Austerity

In November, Italy ended an operation known as Mare Nostrum, which was launched in October 2013 in response to a tragedy off Lampedusa in which 366 people died.

The year-long operation was aimed at rescuing seaborne migrants, with Italian vessels looking for ships carrying migrants that may have run into trouble off the Libyan coast.

Late last year, the UNHCR warned that Italy's decision to end its operation in the Mediterranean would almost certainly lead to more deaths.

But other European countries, including the UK, said a rescue service for migrants could encourage them and so the operation was scaled down.

The EU now runs a border control operation, called Triton, which only operates close to Europe's coast and with fewer ships.

From the story - and very very true: The Italian operation was set up differently. The naval crews knew they had one single purpose - to prevent death.



Understand - Hospitals have been shut down in Italy and there are drastically reduced Ambulance services. You have a stroke -you now have to drive an hour to and hour and a half down or up a mountain for the most basic treatment.

They don't have the money to run the service they had anymore. And even with increase in property taxes and on businesses - - it doesn't do enough to provide basic services in country.

The stone is dry - unless the EU steps up and provides money to Italy to put back in place their effective way of helping people.

[valerief]

3. Slave ships. nt

[JustAnotherGen]

4. 'Tis true indeed

And when those folks can actually get to Italy? They bust their butts if they can find a way to stay. The Central Africans that make it tend to assimilate very quickly. My father in laws main physician went there 25 years ago from Senegal - crossed over on a boat. The hospital closed in Acri - he stayed. That's his "home".