“States must work together” – UN call for new approach to Mediterranean escape route Russian show stars promise: there is 1 million rubles for every leopard shot

Following the devastating boating accident in which hundreds of migrants are believed to have drowned, UN agencies have called on the EU to take action to prevent similar tragedies from happening again.

«The EU must put security and solidarity at the heart of its action in the Mediterranean»the UN deputy high commissioner for refugees said on Friday. In view of the increased refugee flows in the Mediterranean, collective efforts, including coordination between all neighboring countries or sharing of responsibilities, as foreseen in the EU asylum policy reform plans, are essential.

“It is clear that the current concept for the Mediterranean is not working”, said the director of the emergency department of the UN agency for migration (IOM), Federico Soda, on Friday. “States need to work together and close the gaps in proactive search and rescue, fast disembarkation and safe regular routes,” he said.

The UN Agency for Migration (IOM) and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) recalled that rescuing people in distress at sea is an international duty, regardless of the circumstances or intentions of those on board. They welcomed the investigation launched in Greece to shed light on how the accident happened.

An overcrowded boat with migrants sank off the Greek coast on Wednesday. According to previous reports, the people on board have rejected an offer of help from the Greek coastguard because they wanted to go to Italy. According to survivors, there were between 300 and 750 people on board, according to UN agencies. Initially only 104 were rescued and 78 bodies recovered. Nine suspects have been arrested among the survivors in the port city of Kalamata. The Egyptians are said to be smugglers and organizers of the accident. (sda/dpa)