NewsCore
Tuesday, April 03, 2012
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LAMPEDUSA, Italy - Ten African migrants died after their crowded boat floundered in rough seas in the Mediterranean en route to Italy, the ANSA news agency reported Tuesday.The vessel was discovered by the Italian Navy drifting 60 miles (100 kilometers) south of the island of Lampedusa, a major arrival point for Africans coming to Italy.
The Italian crew picked up 48 survivors, including three pregnant women. Survivors said 10 migrants -- six from Somalia and four from Ethiopia -- drowned.
The boat departed from Libya.
In 2011, 50,000 migrants arrived in Italy from North Africa, with many fleeing turmoil in Tunisia and the conflict in Libya, according to statistics cited by ANSA. Hundreds died on the perilous journey.