Italy has arrested five men accused of multiple murders and human trafficking following Wednesday's shipwreck, which left more than 200 people feared drowned.
Two Libyans, two Algerians and a Tunisian were held by police after survivors of the disaster were brought to Sicily, as testimony emerged as to how the suspects had beaten and stabbed passengers during the perilous crossing.
The alleged traffickers, aged between 21 and 24 years old, were accused by witnesses of "branding with their knives the heads of those who did not obey orders, particularly Africans, while those of Arab origin were thrashed with belts," police said in a statement.
The overcrowded vessel was believed to have had more than 600 migrants onboard when it began the perilous journey across the Mediterranean, before getting into trouble and overturning.
Rescuers pulled 373 men, women and children from the water, and recovered 26 bodies. A search for further survivors proved fruitless. Full story...
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Two Libyans, two Algerians and a Tunisian were held by police after survivors of the disaster were brought to Sicily, as testimony emerged as to how the suspects had beaten and stabbed passengers during the perilous crossing.
The alleged traffickers, aged between 21 and 24 years old, were accused by witnesses of "branding with their knives the heads of those who did not obey orders, particularly Africans, while those of Arab origin were thrashed with belts," police said in a statement.
The overcrowded vessel was believed to have had more than 600 migrants onboard when it began the perilous journey across the Mediterranean, before getting into trouble and overturning.
Rescuers pulled 373 men, women and children from the water, and recovered 26 bodies. A search for further survivors proved fruitless. Full story...
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