European Leaders Struggle to Find Remedies following the Mediterranean’s Worse Migrant Shipwreck

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Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Author: 
Robert Williams
Volume: 
31
Issue: 
4
Abstract: 
On April 19, 2015 a large overcrowded migrant vessel in the Mediterranean between the Libyan coast and the Italian island of Lampedusa capsized resulting in the death of up to 1,000 migrants – making it the single deadliest shipwreck in the ongoing migration crisis facing Europe. Just over a dozen migrants survived including the captain and a fellow crewmember of the vessel who were arrested by Italian police and were detained on suspicion of multiple homicide causing a shipwreck, and facilitating illegal immigration. In response, European leaders arranged two hastily convened meetings between Interior and Foreign Affairs Ministers on April 20 and the European Council on April 23, as leaders quickly realized the need to combat an escalating humanitarian crisis.