Captain of capsized migrant boat charged with manslaughter in Italy

CATANIA, Sicily, April 21 (UPI) -- Italian prosecutors charged the captain of a migrant boat that capsized, killing hundreds of people, with manslaughter, saying he mistakenly rammed the boat into a nearby merchant ship.

Tunisian captain Mohammed Ali Malek, 27, was arrested Monday along with a Syrian crew member, Mahmud Bikhit, 25, after being brought ashore in Sicily. The two, along with a two dozen others, are thought the be the only survivors of at least 800 people who were on board the boat when it capsized Sunday off the coast of Libya.

Both men were charged with aiding and abetting illegal immigration, a statement from prosecutors in the Sicilian town of Catania, said. Malek also faces charges of culpable shipwreck and manslaughter.

Prosecutors said the boat capsized because the captain made "inaccurate maneuvers" causing it to slam into a Portuguese-flagged merchant ship that had come to its rescue. The stability of the migrant boat was further compromised because it was overcrowded.

Survivors of the shipwreck told authorities there were up to 950 people on board the boat, though that number hasn't been confirmed.

"It is still not possible to ascertain the precise number of the deceased," a statement from prosecutors said.

The overwhelming majority are feared dead.

"The very low number of survivors could be due to the fact that many people were locked inside the boat," the statement read.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees agency estimated a total 850 people were on board.

"From available information and the various accounts we've had, UNHCR now believes the number of fatalities to have been over 800, making this the deadliest incident in the Mediterranean we have ever recorded," UNHCR spokesman Arian Edwards said.