The police said 15 African Muslim migrants have been arrested over the incident. The victims were reportedly“of Christian faith, compared to their attackers who were of Muslim faith,”police said in a statement, saying the 15 people arrested were accused of“multiple aggravated murders motivated by religious hate”.
National Mirror reports that the incident aboard a boat, which was carrying about 100 migrants, took place in the Straits of Sicily, between Tunisia and Italy.
According to a group of Nigerian and Ghanaian survivors, a fight broke out over religion, with a group of Muslim passengers threatening the Nigerians and Ghanaians after the latter – who were in the minority – declared themselves to be Christians.
“The threats then materialised and 12 people, all Nigerian and Ghanaian, are believed to have drowned in the Mediterranean,” the statement added.
According to the Italian media, the 15 migrants arrested over the attack on their arrival in Palermo were from Ivory Coast, Mali and Senegal.
Migration from North Africa to Europe by boat is a growing problem, with many thousands attempting the dangerous journey every year, resulting in hundreds of deaths.
May their souls rest in peace but sad to say that these sort of things only happen among Africans. A stop should be put in desperation to travel at all means, migrating to another country is not a guarantee for good life and success.
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