Did Italian coast guard ignore Syrian refugee boat’s SOS?

[TomSea]

Did Italian coast guard ignore Syrian refugee boat’s SOS?
 AISHA FAREED | Published — Wednesday 10 May 2017

JEDDAH: The Italian ambassador to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday said he doubted the veracity of an audiotape that alleges Italy refused to rescue 268 Syrian refugees who drowned when their boat capsized.

The refugees, including 60 children, lost their lives 60 miles south of the Italian island of Lampedusa in the Mediterranean Sea.

The leaked audiotape, which dates to Oct. 10, 2013, when the boat sank, was published by the Italian magazine L’Espresso. The tape suggests the Italian authorities allowed the Syrian refugees to drown, despite phone calls from one passenger pleading to be rescued.

“I don’t know what the audiotape has, but what I can tell you is that Italy, today, is the country that has accepted the most refugees in the world,” Italian Ambassador Luca Ferrari told Arab News. “Just last year, we took in 150,000 refugees.”

The Italian Coast Guard is the major naval force in the Mediterranean Sea that saves human lives, according to Ferrari.

Continued: http://www.arabnews.com/node/1097096/middle-east

Saw you looking at this @EC  , this is a different story with the Italian government responding.

[Fishrrman]

As callous as it may sound, the Italians did the right thing, insofar as national self-preservation is concerned.

They should be turning those boats back.

If the boats won't turn back, they should be fired upon and sunk.

Otherwise, you get this:


... as predicted by this guy more than forty years ago: