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400 people may have died crossing Mediterranean

14 April 2015 21:24 (UTC +04:00)

Save the Children organization made the announcement based on testimonies collected from survivors who were rescued from another boat by Italian coastguards and brought to the city of Reggio Calabria.

According to Save the Children, the increasing number of deaths at sea “poses a threat,” not only to Italy, but to the entire European Union.

The European Union must quickly make changes in its regulations to cope with the growing number of migrants trying to reach its shores, the EU’s top migration official said last week.

“The unprecedented influx of migrants at our borders, and in particular refugees, is unfortunately the new norm and we will need to adjust our responses accordingly,” said the EU’s commissioner for migration, Dimitris Avramopoulos.

Save the Children director has said that among the thousands of undocumented immigrants rescued in recent days there are about 450 children. Valerio Blacks added that 317 of the children are unaccompanied.

“Many of them [the children] have experienced atrocious violence, and have lost their friends, relatives or parents… It is necessary to ensure their safety and give them the necessary psychological support needed,” said Blacks.

EU migration spokeswoman Natasha Bertaud said 7,000 migrants have been saved since April 10. However, half of those rescued remain on coastguard boats, waiting to land.