10 perish in Mediterranean shipwreck

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10 perish in Mediterranean shipwreck

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At least 10 people were killed when would-be immigrants boat sank in the Mediterranean.

05 November,2012 04:42 am

Italian coastguards recovered the bodies of seven would-be immigrants from the Mediterranean on Sunday after their boat sank between the Libyan coast and the Italian island of Lampedusa, bringing the death toll to 10, the ANSA news agency said.The bodies of three women had been found by coastguards overnight but another 62 men and eight women, one of them pregnant, were rescued, it said.It did not disclose the nationalities of those on the boat, which got into difficulties about 35 nautical miles off the Libyan coast and 140 miles from Lampedusa.Italian authorities had moved after a call for help made by satellite phone, and informed colleagues in Libya and Malta.The stricken boat was later spotted by a Maltese plane.A spokeswoman for the UN refugee agency praised what he called an extraordinary operation, saying that without it, another 70 people would be dead.Italy fulfills a leadership role in the Mediterranean in saving lives at sea, thanks to Italys tradition, the preparation of its men and the means at their disposal, Laura Boldrini told ANSA.Sicilys new left-wing governor, Rosario Crocetta, greeted the survivors as they arrived in Lampedusa, where he was vacationing.Europe must provide a response to the tragedy of Africa, and there is also the tragedy of Lampedusa, which shoulders the problems of illegal immigration on behalf of all of Europe, Crocetta said.