'Four Dead' On Migrant Freighter

The Blue Sky M was spotted floating adrift near the coast of Corfu on Tuesday Continue reading the main story At least four people have been found dead on a cargo ship carrying around 900 migrants, which was found adrift in Greek waters, the Red Cross says. The Blue Sky M had been abandoned and left on autopilot by its crew, believed to be people traffickers. Italian coastguards later brought it under control and safely docked it at the Italian port of Gallipoli. The migrants, believed to be mainly Syrians and Kurds, have been taken to a local school and gymnasium. Thirty-five of them were taken to hospital, with some treated for hypothermia, Italian Red Cross spokeswoman Mimma Antonacci said. Officials earlier put the number of migrants found at 700. "We are talking not about 700 people on this boat but we are talking about around more than 900. They are now in all the schools around Gallipoli and they are recording now and trying to find out the names, but we're talking about Syrians," she added. Medics help migrants in a tent after they arrived onboard the Blue Sky M cargo ship at the Gallipoli harbour southern Italy, 31 December 2014. Many of the migrants were treated for hypothermia The Moldovan-flagged ship Blue SKy M is docked early on 31 December 2014 in the port of Gallipoli, in southeastern of Italy. Italian coastguard workers were lowered by helicopter onto the vessel after a passenger sent out a distress call Ambulance crews stood waiting as the ship docked in the early hours of New Year's Eve. A local eyewitness in Gallipoli, Gilberto Busti, told the BBC World Service he had seen hundreds of people - who he thought could be Syrian and Kurdish refugees - disembarking from the vessel. Italy has had to deal with a massive surge in migrants - many of them from the Middle East and the Horn of Africa - setting off on boats with hopes of reaching Europe. The most common sea route for the clandestine voyages has been from Libya but this ship is said to have started in Turkey. It is also unusual to find a vessel of this size carrying migrants. People traffickers who organise the crossings often abandon the vessels at sea to avoid arrest. People wait on the dock as the ship comes into Gallipoli Medics were on hand to treat migrants as they disembarked from the ship Medics help migrants after they arrived onboard the Blue Sky M cargo ship at the Gallipoli harbour southern Italy, on 31 December 2014. Many of the migrants are believed to have come from Syria 'Disaster averted' The Blue Sky is listed as a general cargo ship, flying under a Moldovan flag. The safety manager of a company hired to provide safety certification for the ship told the BBC he had withdrawn its certificate several months ago after finding it unsafe. Italian coast guard spokesman Filippo Marini was quoted by AP news agency as saying the Italians had averted a disaster by interrupting the programmed route that would have had the ship crash into the shore. Source:bbc