Migrants Found Dead Off Sicily

Survivors said yesterday that at least 63 would-be immigrants died at sea during a Mediterranean voyage which was supposed to take them to a new life in Europe.

One survivor, a Somalian woman, was apparently in such a stricken condition that her rescuers took her for dead.

The tragedy occurred just as a court in Syracuse, Sicily, begins hearing the case of two men accused of masterminding the worst human trafficking tragedy in the Mediterranean so far. Seven years ago, at least 283 would-be immigrants and two crew members drowned when a motor launch sunk in the Malta-Sicily channel on Christmas Day, 1996.

Most of those trying to sneak into Europe are taking greater risks than they imagine, including unscrupulous smugglers, unseaworthy vessels and - in the central Mediterranean - treacherous waters.

Coastguards operating from the island of Lampedusa, a tiny, barren outcrop of the European Union closer to Libya than Sicily, have grown accustomed to grim discoveries aboard the rickety boats which transport the migrants from Libya and Tunisia.

The coastguard crew which boarded the 40ft vessel on Sunday evening found a boat laden with almost as many corpses as living people. Two bodies were stuffed into a space under the engine, with a further 12 heaped in a pile.

Michele Niosi, the Lampedusa harbourmaster, said afterwards that those still alive were "extremely worn out from cold and hunger; some were delirious". Several were apparently too weak to stand.

A fishermen who first spotted the vessel threw bottles of water and pieces of bread to the survivors while they waited for the coastguards to arrive.

Fourteen survivors were taken to Lampedusa while the traffickers' boat was towed to port. It was only after the boat had docked that rescuers realised one of the "corpses" was still alive.

"She was lying among the bodies and seemed lifeless. It was only after they got to Lampedusa that they saw her move," said a spokesman. She and five other immigrants were later flown to a hospital in Sicily.

Those left behind told the authorities that they had set off from a port in Libya more than a fortnight earlier. They said at least 50 corpses were dumped at sea during the trip.

Normally, it takes only two days to reach Lampedusa from the Libyan coast. But many boats laden with clandestine migrants have lost their bearings or been swept off course by the winds and currents of the central Mediterranean.

This was the second tragedy involving illegal immigrants off Lampedusa in three days. On Friday, seven Africans, including three children, died. Twenty-five survived.

The two suspects about to stand trial on charges of involuntary homicide in Sicily today for the 1996 tragedy are Turab Ahmed Sheik, a naturalised Maltese from Pakistan and Youssef al-Hallal, a Lebanese.

The victims of the 1996 incident, who mostly hail from the Indian subcontinent, allegedly perished after being transferred at sea from the MV Yioham, which was captained by Mr Hallal, to a former RAF search and rescue launch owned by his co-defendant. His boat was due to have carried the migrants to Sicily.

Mr Ahmed Sheik said last week he had refused to take part because the sea was too rough. Survivors said the migrants were forced on to the launch at gunpoint by Mr Hallal and his crew.

Mr Ahmed Sheik said that the man in charge of the launch, who also survived, had told him that the smaller vessel was so overladen that it started taking on water. It was decided to return to the ship to offload some of the passengers.

As the launch tried to stay alongside the bigger vessel, there was a collision and the launch sank along with most of its passengers who were trapped in the hold.