The Mediterranean yielded another grim harvest of desperate souls on Monday when an overloaded boat of migrants sank, triggering a big Italian rescue operation.<br /><br />The boat, estimated to be carrying according to Red Cross sources over 400 people, went down in the waters off Lampedusa, near Sicily.<br /><br />At least 17 deaths are confirmed by the coastguards, although other reports said 40 had died. Some 200 were rescued, but there may be an equivalent number of missing persons.<br /><br />“Europe knows this drama needs to be dealt with, now we are searching for the tools to manage it. I hope that the answers will arrive as early as the June European Council; Italy will put this issue at the heart of its EU Presidency. This problem concerns not only foreign ministers but also other ministries,” said Italian Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini.<br /><br />Migrants from Africa heading to Europe are on the rise, with 25,000 arriving on Italian soil already this year. On Sunday 40 died and 51 were rescued when a boat sank off the Libyan coast near Tripoli. The latest tragedy prompted comments on Monday from one of the candidates for the European Presidency, German Social-Democrat Martin Schulz.
