On This Date-Silvia Todorova

On October 3, 2013, a boat carrying migrants from Libya to Italy sank due to engine troubled. Many of the migrants were originally from Eritrea, and Somalia, they we're trying to smuggle themselves into Europe for a chance to have a better life. The Italian Coast Guard was able to save 155 people but unfortunately over 350 people were declared to be missing. After the people on the ship realized they were having engine troubles they lit a blanket on fire to get the attention of other ships. However, the fire grew worse when it ignited some gasoline and began to spread from there before the boat sank. Many people jumped off the ship to try and save themselves. 

This is an example of the extreme risks that migrants often take in order to sneak into Europe by boat. Facing unrest in there countries many of the migrants think the Lampedusa escape route to Europe, is worth the risk. The number of deaths called for the European Union to better the patrol in the southern Mediterranean and prevent such tragedies and to try and prevent smuggling operations.