Muslim migrants threw Christians overboard

Italian police: Muslim migrants threw Christians overboard

By Hada Messia, Livia Borghese and Jason Hanna, CNN
Updated 2:30 PM ET, Thu April 16, 2015

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Fleeing violence, migrants risk it all to reach Europe 02:35

Story highlights

• The 12 victims were from Nigeria and Ghana, police said
• The group of 105 people left Libya, bound for Italy
• More than 10,000 people have arrived on Italian shores from Libya since last weekend

Rome (CNN)Muslims who were among migrants trying to get from Libya to Italy in a boat this week threw 12 fellow passengers overboard -- killing them -- because the 12 were Christians, Italian police said Thursday.

Italian authorities have arrested 15 people on suspicion of murdering the Christians at sea, police in Palermo, Sicily, said.

Why migrants are dying to get to Italy

The original group of 105 people left Libya on Tuesday in a rubber boat. Sometime during the trip north across the Mediterranean Sea, the alleged assailants -- Muslims from the Ivory Coast, Mali and Senegal -- threw the 12 overboard, police said.

Other people on the voyage told police that they themselves were spared "because they strongly opposed the drowning attempt and formed a human chain," Palermo police said.

The boat was intercepted by an Italian navy vessel, which transferred the passengers to a Panamanian-flagged ship. That ship docked in Palermo on Wednesday, after which the arrests were made, police said.

'I enter Europe or I die': Desperate migrants rescued this week off Italy

The 12 who died were from Nigeria and Ghana, police said.

Thousands of people each year make the dangerous sea journey from North Africa to Europe's Mediterranean coast, often aboard vessels poorly equipped for the trip. Many of them attempt the voyage to flee war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East.

More than 10,000 people have arrived on Italian shores from Libya since last weekend alone, according to the Italian coast guard.
Hundreds die each year while attempting the voyage, many times because boats capsized. Last year at least 3,200 died trying to make the trip. Since 2000, according to the International Organization for Migration, almost 22,000 people have died fleeing across the Mediterranean.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/16/europe...own-overboard/

http://www.alipac.us/f9/italy-accuse...to-sea-318922/

They're fleeing war and poverty? Really? Why don't they stay and fight in the war and solve their poverty issues? They aren't fleeing war and poverty, they're spreading it.

Understanding Why EU-Bound Refugees Risk Their Lives to Cross Mediterranean

Apr 20, 2015, 7:02 PM ET
By OLIVIA SMITH

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A man rescues an migrant from the Aegean sea, in the eastern island of Rhodes, April 20, 2015.
Argiris Mantikos/Eurokinissi/AP Photo

NEXT VIDEO Watch Cruise Ship Forced To Ride Out Wild Storm At Sea



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Refugees have been journeying to Europe from Africa and the Middle East for years, but the numbers have seen a sharp climb recently because of several factors. Some of the reasons they make the treacherous trip: conflict, terrorism, poverty and persecution.

In the video above, ABC News documents the perils these refugees face and the numbers behind the crisis.

Migrant Ship Rescue Efforts Continue

Hundreds Feared Dead After Boat Carrying Migrants Capsizes

Rescue Operation Underway for Capsized Ship in Mediterranean Sea

Officials say this weekend marked what was possibly the deadliest refugee disaster. A boat capsized heading from Libya to Europe in the Mediterranean Sea, and survivors say more than 900 people could be dead.

Dramatic video emerged today from Greece showing another shipwreck and people swimming for their lives.

There were also reports of several other distress calls from refugee boats across the Mediterranean.

http://a.abcnews.com/images/Video/GT...20_4x3_992.jpgGiovanni Isolino/AFP/Getty Images

PHOTO: A policeman waits near the Italian military ship "Chimera," with around 350 would be immigrants on board

Refugees take a variety of routes and come from a number of different countries, including Eritrea, Niger, Syria, Iraq and Somalia.

Videos taken by people on the boats have shown unfit living conditions. And the risks run high, including rough seas and crowded and dangerous ships.

http://a.abcnews.com/images/Video/GT...20_4x3_992.jpgRicky Carioti/The Washington Post/Getty Images

PHOTO: African migrants wait in line to have medical evaluations

There’s an ongoing debate in Europe about how to handle the crisis. The European Union has scaled back rescue efforts to deter refugees from the journey, which has been ineffective.

More than 35,000 refugees have arrived by boat in Europe this year, and an estimated 1,600 have died on the journey, according to the International Organization for Migration.

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/understand...ry?id=30451565