Italian police have arrested the captain and first mate of the ship which foundered in the Mediterranean over the weekend, causing catastrophic loss of life. Both have been charged with people trafficking; the captain has also been charged with reckless
Distress calls have been received from at least two more boats in the Mediterranean carrying migrants, with reports of 20 further fatalities, including children. The Italian coast guard is believed to be asking commercial vessels in the area to respond
Europol, the EU police agency, has launched a taskforce dedicated to rooting out the people traffickers who last year sent 170,000 illegal migrants in a perilous journey across the Mediterranean. 3,000 of those shipped across died as overloaded boats sank
