The United Nations said that as many as 700 people may have drowned when a small fishing boat capsized 60 miles south of the Italian island of Lampedusa late on Saturday. If the death toll is confirmed, it could be the worst single migrant drowning of the current crisis, and mean 1,600 people will have died attempting to reach Europe by boat in 2015 alone.
The EU has announced an emergency meeting of foreign and interior ministers to discuss the crisis, but governments including Britain have so far shown no inclination to reinstate proactive search-and-rescue missions. These were halted last October, despite saving an estimated 100,000 lives, amid fears that the operation was encouraging smugglers and migrants to organise more trips.
More here.