Malta warns EU waters 'a cemetery' after fresh tragedy

Maltese PM Joseph Muscat says European waters
close to Africa are turning into a cemetery, after
another boat laden with migrants capsized.
Mr Muscat said Malta felt "abandoned" by the rest of
Europe and insisted that the EU had to take action.
Malta and Italy launched a rescue operation after a
boat capsized on Friday, leaving at least 27 dead.
It happened 120km (70 miles) off Lampedusa, the
Italian island where at least 300 migrants drowned last
week.
The loss of life has renewed the debate within EU
member states on migration rules.
In the latest incident, the vessel carrying more than
200 migrants is believed to have encountered
difficulties in Maltese waters just before sunset on
Friday.
The migrants used a satellite phone to raise the alarm
but the boat capsized when passengers crowded to one
side as they tried to get the attention of a passing
aircraft, the Maltese navy said.
Earlier on Friday, at least 500 other migrants travelling
in separate boats were rescued in coastguard
operations near the Italian island of Sicily.
Also on Friday, a separate boat accident off the Egyptian
port of Alexandria claimed the lives of at least 12
migrants.
Egyptian security officials said 116 people, mostly
Palestinians and Syrians, were pulled from the water.
Mr Muscat said prompt action between Malta and Italy
had saved lives, but he complained that "from the
European side we have heard only talk, empty talk
really".
"Right now politicians are thinking about tightening or
loosening migration rules. In our case our main
concern is these people at sea," he said.
"We feel abandoned by Europe. I don't know how
many more people need to die at sea before something
gets done. We will make sure our voice is heard during
the next European Council. Rules need to change,
whether they are tighter or looser is not the issue, the
fact is that this thing is broken and it needs to be
fixed."
Mr Muscat added: "As things stand we are building a
cemetery within our Mediterranean Sea."
After last week's tragedy off Lampedusa the European
Commission called for the EU to launch Mediterranean-
wide search and rescue patrols to intercept migrant
boats.
The EU's Frontex border agency, set up in 2004, has
seen its budget cut from 118m euros (£100m; $160m)
in 2011 to 85m euros in 2013.
Italy has previously appealed to EU states for help in
coping with the thousands of illegal migrants who wash
up on its shores every year.
The BBC's Matthew Price, in Lampedusa, says European
leaders face a quandary as they struggle to balance
political pressures to restrict migrant numbers with the
need to assist those desperate enough to risk such a
perilous journey.
Lampedusa, 290km (180 miles) off the North African
coast, is a key destination for migrant vessels bound for
Europe.
Tens of thousands attempt the perilous crossing to
Lampedusa, Sicily and other Italian islands each year.
The latest rescue operation swung into action after the
Maltese air force spotted the boat and alerted Italian
naval vessels still in the area after last Thursday's
disaster.
Helicopters were used to lift many to safety but
nightfall hampered the rescue operation.
Children among dead
The nationalities of the migrants were not immediately
known.
Mr Muscat's office said 147 survivors had been picked
up by a Maltese patrol boat and were being taken to
Malta. Another 56 had been saved by Italian crews.
The prime minister said the dead included three small
children.
Cecilia Malmstrom, the EU Commissioner for Home
Affairs, praised the swift Italian and Maltese rescue
effort, which she said had helped reduce the potential
death toll.
She said in a statement that she was following the
operation with "sadness and anxiety".
"These new horrible events are happening while we still
have the shocking images of the tragedy in Lampedusa
in our minds," she added.

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