Death of migrants truly titanic tragedy, says Ban
23 April 2015 4:32 AM IST
UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon described the death of hundreds of migrants off the coast of Libya as a “humanitarian tragedy” that should shock the global conscience, saying the Mediterranean is fast becoming a sea of misery with more than twice as many migrants dying at sea in the past year than on the ill-fated Titanic.
He said the “truly titanic humanitarian tragedy” highlights yet again the need to address the plight of migrants, to crack down on the criminals who exploit the “most vulnerable” and to strengthen rescue capacity in the Mediterranean and elsewhere.
“The death of hundreds of migrants off the coast of Libya is not only deeply saddening, it should shock the global conscience. The Mediterranean is fast becoming a sea of misery for thousands of migrants. More than twice as many migrants have died at sea in the past year than on the Titanic,” Ban said.
Noting that Italy, Greece and Malta have borne the biggest burden in terms of rescue operations, he urged EU to show solidarity by accelerating support. “Record numbers of people are fleeing war and persecution. As migrants face discrimination, they urgently need our protection,” he said. UN high commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Al Hussein has urged EU governments to take a “more sophisticated, more courageous and less callous approach” to coping with the flows of migrants towards Europe.
“As we learn of yet more men, women and children who have lost their lives in their search for better and safer lives abroad, I am horrified but not surprised by this latest tragedy. These deaths and the hundreds of others that preceded them in recent months were sadly predictable. The (deaths) are the result of a continuing failure of governance accompanied by a monumental failure of compassion,” he said in a statement.
126 migrants reach Greek shores
Greek authorities have picked up more than 120 migrants who illegally entered the country by sea on three separate vessels, a day after a yacht with 90 people on board foundered just off the island of Rhodes, drowning three. The Merchant Marine Ministry says 42 people, including seven children, were taken off a small boat near the eastern Aegean Sea islet of Agathonissi. All are in good health. A further 84 people were located in separate incidents earlier on Tuesday on the islet of Farmakonissi and the island of Lesvos. About 550 migrants have reached Greek shores over the past three days, amid a surge of illegal immigration that has seen arrivals exceed 12,000 so far this year, a nearly threefold increase over 2014.
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