Rome - Search teams on Sunday discovered more bodies from the fishing boat that sank on Thursday near to the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, bringing the number of those confirmed dead to 195.
According to the 155 survivors, there were a total of 518 African migrants on the ship coming from Libya, meaning that more than 165 bodies are still missing.
The 20-meter fishing vessel, carrying asylum seekers mainly from Eritrea and Somalia, including dozens of women and children, caught fire and sank early on Thursday -- the latest in a string of such incidents that occur each year off Lampedusa.
The island, Italy's southernmost point, is less than 115 km away from Africa and has offered rescue efforts and shelter for some of the 30 000 migrants this year alone.
According to experts, most migrants trying to cross to Italy have the goal of a different final destination in Europe.
Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta said last week that the victims of this latest disaster have been posthumously awarded Italian citizenship. - SAnews.gov.za-Xinhua
