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Merkel: To do everything to prevent further victims in Mediterranean

Xinhua, April 21, 2015 Adjust font size:

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Monday that everything would be done to prevent more migrants dying in the Mediterranean Sea in the wake of the latest tragedy in which hundreds of people are feared dead in the region.

"We will do everything to prevent further victims perishing in the most agonising way on our doorstep in the Mediterranean," Merkel said at a meeting with non-government organizations Monday in Berlin.

The chancellor announced measures to prevent further deaths in the region,calling for fight against migrant traffickers.

"Secondly, we will work intensively to overcome the causes for fleeing native countries," she added.

Only 28 migrants out of about 700 seem to have survived after their boat capsized some 200 km south of the Italian island of Lampedusa on Saturday night. This disaster follows another similar tragedy which took place last week, during which more than 400 migrants drowned after their vessel sank off the Libyan coast.

Earlier on Monday, Merkel's spokesman said the chancellor, who was "shocked" by the latest migrant tragedy, had called Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi on Sunday to discuss the migration crisis.

EU interior and foreign ministers gathered in Luxembourg on Monday to discuss their response to this issue and presented a 10-point plan on the immediate actions to be taken in response to the crisis situation in the Mediterranean Sea. Endit