page_title: 2013 Lampedusa migrant shipwreck
section_title: Reaction
hierarchical_section_title: 2013 Lampedusa migrant shipwreck / Reaction
caption_attribution_description: Español: Cruz de Lampedusa
context_page_description: On 3 October 2013, a boat carrying migrants from Libya to Italy sank off the Italian island of Lampedusa. It was reported that the boat had sailed from Misrata, Libya, but that many of the migrants were originally from Eritrea, Somalia and Ghana. An emergency response involving the Italian Coast Guard resulted in the rescue of 155 survivors. On 12 October it was reported that the confirmed death toll after searching the boat was 359, but that further bodies were still missing; a figure of "more than 360" deaths was later reported.
  A second shipwreck occurred 120 kilometres from Lampedusa on 11 October, within the Maltese search and rescue zone, but closer to Lampedusa. The boat was reportedly carrying migrants from Syria, and at least 34 individuals were later confirmed dead.
context_section_description: Pope Francis of the Roman Catholic Church tweeted "pray [to] God for the victims of the shipwreck off Lampedusa," while Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta tweeted that it was "an immense tragedy". António Guterres, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, commended the Italian Coast Guard for their quick reaction to the disaster. The Italian Government launched Operation Mare Nostrum in order to avoid new tragedies.
  Italian Deputy Prime Minister Angelino Alfano stated that the incident highlighted the need for European assistance to handle the continuing influx of refugees, declaring the shipwreck "a European tragedy, not just an Italian one[...] The toll is unfortunately a tragic one". A national day of mourning was also announced in Italy.
  In response to the deaths, Cecilia Malmström, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, called for the European Union to increase their Mediterranean-wide search and rescue patrols to intercept migrant boats, through the Frontex border agency. She said: "Let's make sure that what happened in Lampedusa will be a wakeup call to increase solidarity and mutual support and to prevent similar tragedies in the future." José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, and Italian Prime Minister Letta visited Lampedusa on 9 October. Letta announced that a state funeral would be held for the migrants who died, and Barroso said that 30 million euros would be used to help refugees in Italy.
caption: Cross made with wood of broken immigration boats in Lampedusa
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