Italy Mourns Lampedusa Boat Victims

Italy's government has declared Friday a day of national mourning in the wake of the shipwreck that killed hundreds of migrants near the island of Lampedusa on Thursday.

Reports suggest at least 130 people died after their vessel capsized around a kilometre from land. Some 500 people were on board when the vessel sank.

A total of 154 people have been rescued. But the chances of finding more survivors in the Mediterranean waters are slim, according to international media.

The tragedy comes just four days after 13 migrants drowned off the coast of Sicily.

Lampedusa, not far from Sicily and the closest Italian island to Africa, has become a destination for tens of thousands of refugees seeking to enter European Union countries.

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