Italian Rescuers Recover 10 Bodies After Migrant Boat Capsizes Off Malta

Italian rescuers recovered 10 bodies after a migrant boat capsized in waters off Malta, according to a coastguard statement on Sunday.

The coastguard said the vessel had departed from Libya carrying around 60 people and overturned about 45 nautical miles east-southeast of Malta.

Al Jazeera

“According to the latest information, a fishing boat in the area rescued around 48 people alive, out of about 60 reported to have set off,” the Italian coastguard added.

Search operations in the area were continuing, coordinated by the Maltese authorities, after Malta requested help following the capsizing of a vessel reported with migrants aboard and people in the water.

The Guardian linked the incident to the central Mediterranean crossing, describing it as the sea crossing from North Africa to Italy and Malta.

It said the European Union has an agreement with the Libyan government to reduce the number of migrants flowing through the country and that it has given Libya €700m (£605m) since 2015.

Al Jazeera

The Guardian added that “much of which has been spent on reinforcing border management,” and that Italy’s migration policies in the central Mediterranean have long relied on cooperation with Libya to curb departures.

The same article said at least 827 people have died so far this year attempting the crossing, and that more than 1,330 people died on this route last year, according to the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM).

While the Italian coastguard said search operations were continuing, the incident also fed into broader European policy debates about stopping departures and tightening measures for irregular migration.

The Italian Cabinet approved a draft law authorizing naval blockades to stop migrant boats during periods of 'extraordinary pressure' on the borders, according to Al Jazeera Arabic.

Al Jazeera Arabic said the bill would allow authorities to bar ships from entering Italian waters for up to 30 days in cases where the migrant vessel poses 'serious threats to public order or national security'.

It added that the opposition—center-left in Italy—criticized the bill, which requires approval from both houses of Parliament.