AT LEAST 94 DEAD AS SHIP CARRYING AFRICAN MIGRANTS SINKS OFF ITALIAN COAST!

AT LEAST 94 people have died after a ship carrying African migrants capsized near an Italian island.

  

The death toll is expected to rise significantly, with 200 passengers are still missing.
More than 150 have already been rescued. "We need only caskets, certainly not ambulances," Pietro Bartolo, a health chief on Lampedusa island, told a local radio station.

The island's mayor Giusi Nicolini described "an immense tragedy", as he revealed the dead included at least one child of around three years and a pregnant woman. The boat is thought to have left Libya's capital Tripoli with migrants from Eritrea, Ghana and Somalia [AP]    

Long lines of dead bodies were shown laid out on the Mediterranean island's port.
Italy's coast guard, local fishing boats and helicopters are combing the waters trying to find survivors.

The boat is thought to have left Libya's capital Tripoli with migrants from Eritrea, Ghana and Somalia. Lampedusa is closer to Africa than the Italian mainland - just 70 miles off the coast of Tunisia - and is the frequent destination for smugglers' boats.

The tragedy is the deadliest accident of recent years, with ships carrying African migrants regularly caught out by the perilous crossing to Europe.

Hundreds of migrants seeking out out a new life arrive on Italy's shores every day.
Numbers have spiked in recent weeks, as refugees attempt to escape the crisis in Syria. The Daily Star reports.