Rescue teams desperately sought survivors on August 6th after two boats carrying migrants sank off the Italian island of Lampedusa.
In the immediate aftermath of the boats’ loss on August 5th, Italy’s coastguard said it had rescued 57 people and recovered two dead bodies— those of a woman from Ivory Coast and her 1-year-old child. Local media reported on Sunday that at least 30 people remained missing and were feared dead.
Italy’s Ansa news agency said survivors described how the two boats carrying people trying to illegally enter the European Union had set off from the Tunisian port of Sfax on Saturday. One boat was thought to have had 48 people on board and the other 42. Most were reportedly from sub-Saharan Africa.
Reuters said the coastguard rescued the survivors from the water about 46 kilometers southwest of Lampedusa, which is about halfway between the North African nation of Tunisia and the larger Italian island of Sicily. The island has become a major destination for migrants from Africa wanting to enter the EU and claim asylum (政治避难) .
Italy’s interior ministry said 92, 000 people have arrived in Italy irregularly by sea so far this year to apply for asylum in the EU. During the same period last year, 42, 600 made the very dangerous journey.
The ministry said at least 2, 000 migrants have turned up on the island of Lampedusa in the past few days alone. Most had been rescued by the coastguard and by various charities from small boats in the Mediterranean Sea.
The International Organization for Migration, or IOM, which is the United Nations’ migration agency, said on Sunday both boats that sank on Saturday had been hit by major storms.
Flavio Di Giacomo, a spokesman for the IOM, told the Agence France-Presse news agency an official examination had been launched into the circumstances surrounding the loss of the boats. He said the probe will be conducted from the town of Agrigento, on the island of Sicily. “Whoever allowed them, or forced them, to leave with this sea is equal to a mad criminal,” he said. “Rough seas are forecast for the next few days. Let’s hope they stop. It’s sending them to slaughter (屠杀) with this sea.”
Emanuele Ricifari, the chief of police in Agrigento, said the people-traffickers (人贩子) would surely have known rough seas were expected.
12. What happened to the two boats and people on them?
A.Up to 42 people were supposed to have been dead. |
B.The two boats set out from the Italian island of Sicily. |
C.The rescue was carried out to the southwest of Lampedusa. |
D.The destination of the two boats was the Tunisian port of Sfax. |
13. How did the two boats sink according to the text?
A.The boats knocked into each other. | B.The boats hit a reef and began to leak |
C.The boats were caught in strong storms. | D.The boats couldn’t bear the weight of the people. |
14. Which can replace the underlined word “probe” in paragraph 8?
A.Interview. | B.Experiment. |
C.Discussion. | D.Investigation. |
15. What can serve as a suitable title for the news report?
A.Italy’s coastguard recovers two dead bodies. |
B.Dozens lost at sea as migrant boats go down. |
C.Two boats carrying people try to enter European Union. |
D.Sicily becomes major destination for migrants from Africa |