Mediterranean migrants crisis: EU triples funding for sea patrols

Image: A migrant cries during an inter-faith burial service for 24 dead migrants at Mater Dei Hospital in Tal-Qroqq, outside Valletta. Photograph: Darrin Zammit/Reuters

European leaders on Thursday agreed to triple its naval search mission in the Mediterranean, restoring its funding to last year's level. The decision comes four days after up to 900 desperate people drowned trying to reach Europe from Libya.

The EU will also look at ways to capture and destroy smugglers' boats and deploy immigration officers to non-EU countries, officials said.

Earlier, funerals for 24 of the victims were held in Malta.

Several EU member states have promised more ships and other resources.

The number of people fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and Africa has risen sharply in recent months. More than 35,000 are thought to have crossed from Africa to Europe this year and some 1,750 have died while attempting the journey. The estimated toll from Sunday's capsizing was the worst on record, the BBC reported.

Image: Religious leaders embrace near the coffins with the bodies of 24 migrants after an inter-faith burial service at Mater Dei Hospital in Tal-Qroqq, outside Valletta. Photograph: Darrin Zammit/Reuters

Countries, including Britain which will send the Royal Navy's helicopter-carrying flagship, pledged aircraft and boats to Operation Triton, an EU frontier operation off Italy.

Officials said the difference could be felt within days. Italy warned that, after nearly 2,000 deaths so far this year out of nearly 40,000 people making the crossing, a summer season was starting that could push total arrivals on its shores for 2015 to 200,000, an increase of 30,000 over last year, Reuters reported.

European Council President Donald Tusk warned that there would be no quick fix for problems that saw more than 600,000 people seek asylum in the European Union last year.

Tripling annual funding to 120 million euros ($130 million) puts Triton in line with Italy's Mare Nostrum mission. That rescued 100,000 people last year but was criticised by Germany, Britain and others for attracting more people to put to sea in leaky craft supplied by profiteering gangs of traffickers.

Image: Armed Forces of Malta soldiers carry coffins with the bodies of migrants to an inter-faith burial service at Mater Dei Hospital in Tal-Qroqq, outside Valletta. Photograph: Darrin Zammit/Reuters

While leaders stressed that the paramount aim was to save lives, Thursday’s summit focused mainly on security in what looked like a vain attempt to stem the flow of refugees from north Africa.

Several member states pledged additional naval resources on Thursday. The UK - in the past a leading advocate of reducing naval patrols - said it would contribute helicopter carrier HMS Bulwark, two patrol boats and three helicopters. Germany, France and Belgium also offered ships, BBC reported.

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