Shipwreck near Malta, nearly 500 people drowned

This is considered the most serious shipwreck disaster in the world in many years.

Nearly 500 migrants are believed to have drowned after people smugglers on another vessel deliberately rammed and sank their boat.

According to AFP, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on September 15 described this shipwreck as the worst in many years.

Several survivors of the shipwreck near Malta on September 10 have recounted gruesome details to IOM.

Many migrants are forced onto unsafe boats at sea (Photo: AFP)

“If what they say is true, this is probably the worst shipwreck in many years because this was not an accident but a massacre carried out by ruthless criminals,” IOM said.

Two Palestinian survivors of a cargo ship rescued on 11 September have told the IOM that around 500 people were on board when it was deliberately sunk by smugglers.

According to the two, the people on board were Syrians, Palestinians, Egyptians and Sudanese who set off from Damietta in Egypt on September 6 and were forced to change boats several times during their journey to Europe.

Traffickers on another boat ordered them to transfer to a boat they considered too small.

After refusing to transfer to a new vessel, the traffickers rammed their boat until it sank.

Two Palestinians were left at sea for more than a day and a half, one wearing a life jacket and the other clinging to a lifeboat with several others.

Among those killed was a young Egyptian man who wanted to go to Europe to pay for his father's heart surgery, the IMO said.

“Two survivors who were brought to Sicily, Italy, told us that there were at least 500 people on board. Nine others were also lucky enough to be rescued by Greek and Maltese ships. However, others were not so lucky,” IOM spokesman Flavio Di Giacomo said.

Meanwhile, the Maltese military said seven of those rescued were unconscious and were taken to hospital in Crete.

In 2014, the number of migrants from conflict zones in North Africa and the Middle East to Europe increased significantly.

In another shipwreck on September 15, nearly 100 people were feared drowned after a boat carrying about 200 people sank off the coast of Libya while only 36 people were rescued.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), more than 2,500 people drowned or went missing after trying to migrate to other countries in 2014 alone, and the number since last June has been 2,200.

Hollywood star Angelina Jolie, special envoy of UNHCR, has warned the international community to pay more attention to incidents like this.

“There is a direct link between the conflict in Syria and elsewhere as the number of deaths at sea in the Mediterranean is rising rapidly,” Ms. Jolie said.

“We need to understand what drives these people to take the terrible decision to risk their lives and the lives of their children on overcrowded and unsafe boats. It can only be a desire to find safe haven,” Ms. Jolie emphasized.

“Only when we can address the root causes of conflicts in the region can the number of migrants dying or being left without protection be reduced,” Ms. Jolie added.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International has called on European leaders to do more to ensure safe and legal pathways for migrants to Europe.

“The response of EU member states to the refugee crisis in the Middle East and North Africa has been disgraceful,” said John Dalhuisen, Amnesty International’s Central Asia Director.

Mr Dalhuisen condemned European leaders for trying to stem the flow of migrants into Europe “by any means necessary, forcing many to take very dangerous routes”.

Meanwhile, IOM also called on the international community to eradicate human traffickers.

“The only way to destroy these human trafficking organizations is through opening legal channels to Europe for everyone who needs a safe haven,” IOM said./.

According to VOV