Italy marks 10th anniversary of migrant boat sinking off Lampedusa

By Baris Seckin

ROME (AA) - Hundreds of people gathered on the Italian island of Lampedusa on Tuesday to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the sinking of a migrant boat that claimed 368 lives.

Commemoration ceremonies were held on Lampedusa where the fishing boat, which set off from Libya with more than 500 irregular migrants from Africa to reach Europe, capsized on Oct. 3, 2013 off the island’s coast.

The first ceremony was held at 03.15 a.m. (0115 GMT), the time the boat sank.

Representatives of non-governmental organizations, international organizations and students attended the ceremonies.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who shared a written message on the anniversary of the tragic accident, said she commemorated the disaster with deep sorrow and noted that since then, many such tragedies have occurred involving attempts by migrants to reach the shores of Europe.

"It is our absolute duty to put an end to this ongoing massacre by preventing the departure of makeshift boats," Meloni said.