94 Dead, Hundreds Missing from Smuggling Boat—NYT

Having floated for at least two days in the choppy Mediterranean to reach Europe, a rickety trawler overstuffed with African migrants fleeing war and poverty was nearing a Sicilian island, not even a quarter-mile away… Nearly 500 people are estimated to have been on board — including children and babies — and the blaze created a panic that capsized the boat… Pregnant women and children were among the drowned. The accident, which occurred before dawn on Thursday within easy eyesight of the island of Lampedusa, is one of the worst in recent memory in the Mediterranean: at least 94 people were reported dead, with 250 still missing. Late Thursday afternoon, officials said more bodies had just been discovered in the sunken ship. At least 150 others survived, and Italy’s Coast Guard was continuing to search