(Bloomberg) — A fishing boat packed with an estimated 700 people seeking refuge in Europe capsized north of the Libyan coast, in what may become the most deadly such tragedy in the Mediterranean Sea.
Italy and Malta immediately deployed navy and coast guard ships in an effort to rescue survivors. Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi told a news conference on Sunday in Rome that 24 bodies had been recovered and 28 people had been rescued, adding that he hopes an urgent European Union summit on migration can be held by Friday.
"If confirmed, this would be the largest tragedy ever in the Mediterranean involving migrants," Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said in a telephone interview. "Nobody should be allowed to die this way."
Want to continue reading?
Become a Free PropertyCasualty360 Digital Reader
Your access to unlimited PropertyCasualty360 content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:
- Breaking insurance news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Weekly Insurance Speak podcast featuring exclusive interviews with industry leaders
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical converage of the employee benefits and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, BenefitsPRO and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
