15 Harraga killed by an Italian speedboat in June 2008

- A bad handling of an Italian Coast Guard boat in June 2008 would have killed a dozen of Harraga (illegal immigrants), wrote La Repubblica Saturday based on an anonymous letter written probably by a sailor from the military boat.

•     "The massacre, never revealed, was denounced by an anonymous letter sent by a sailor probably from the speed boat of the Coast Guard to the prosecutor of Messina (Sicily) and a television program," wrote the leftist daily.
  
      According to this source, while trying to help potential immigrants, the captain of the boat has thrown a heavy ladder to their boat. Under the weight, the ladder would have capsized the boat, killing several people who could not swim.
  
      "The sailor who wrote the letter sent pictures. He accuses the captain having made a false move then subsequently overwhelmed by panic, having locked in his cabin. Some immigrants have been killed by propeller of the boat," the paper said.
  
      The survivors, housed in a center for illegal immigrants in Malta, have confirmed the story to the envoy of the television channel which conducted the survey.
  
      The same reporter met the commander of the boat, transferred since to another position in Taranto in southern Italy, but the latter refused to answer questions.
  
      
      
  Ennaharonline/ M. O.