Pretoria - President Jacob Zuma has sent his condolences following the death of African migrants when their boat capsized in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Libya.
The migrant boat carrying more than 700 people capsized nearly 200 kilometres south of the Italian island of Lampedusa late on Saturday.
This disaster follows another similar tragedy which took place last week in which more than 400 migrants drowned after their vessel sank off the Libyan coast.
President Zuma said the challenges of under-development that are forcing people to embark on the risky journeys across the Mediterranean Sea need to be urgently addressed.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday also urged the European Union to accelerate its support for addressing the migrant issue in the Mediterranean, saying the region is fast becoming "a sea of misery" for thousands of migrants. - SAnews.gov.za
