A boat carrying at least 500 African migrants sank off the coast of the southern Italian island of Lampedusa. At least 82 have died and hundreds are missing. About 140 people have been rescued. Apparently, a fire broke out on board before the boat sank.
Thousands of migrants and asylum seekers arrive in Italy annually. But often the vessels are overcrowded and are not seaworthy.
“The immense tragedy at Lampedusa… is unbearable for any human being,” Transport Minister Maurizio Lupi said. The mayor of Lampedusa, Giusi Nicolini, said the scene was a “continuous horror.”
“In fires, in floods, in earthquakes, in the fury of the great deep, in calamities by sea and by land, the warning is given that God’s Spirit will not always strive with men.” Manuscript Release, Vol. 3 page 315