Italy boat sinking: Hundreds feared dead off Lampedusa

At least 130 African migrants have died and many more are missing after a boat carrying them to Europe sank off the southern Italian island of Lampedusa.

Mysterious blast hits Europe-bound Gaza ship

Gaza’s Ark. (screen capture: YouTube)

Organizers allege sabotage after ‘Gaza’s Ark,’ built to break naval blockade, partially sunk by Tuesday morning explosion

24 dead, hundreds missing in Philippine ferry disaster

Rescuers in helicopters and boats were on Saturday desperately searching for nearly 300 people missing after a ferry sank in the Philippines, with at least 24 already confirmed killed.

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CEBU, Philippines – Rescuers in helicopters and boats were on Saturday desperately searching for nearly 300 people missing after a ferry sank in the Philippines, with at least 24 already confirmed killed.

The Thomas Aquinas ferry was carrying 870 passengers and crew when it collided with a cargo ship on Friday night in calm waters near the port of Cebu, the Philippines’ second biggest city, authorities said.

While 572 people had been rescued by Saturday morning, 24 bodies had been retrieved and 274 were still unaccounted for, Rear Admiral Luis Tuason, vice commandant of the Philippine coastguard, told AFP.

40 Indonesians missing off Malaysia after boat sinks

Image provided by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency shows passengers rescued from an overturned boat off the Johor coast wait at the maritime office on August 2, 2013. Forty Indonesians believed to be illegal immigrants seeking to return home went missing after a boat carrying them sank off the coast of Malaysia, a maritime official said on August 3. (Malaysian Maritime/AFP)

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) –  Forty Indonesians believed to be illegal immigrants seeking to return home were missing Saturday after a boat carrying them sank off the coast of Malaysia, a maritime official said.

The boat, thought to be carrying 44 people, sank Thursday night off southern Johor state, said Amran Daud, an official with the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), adding four were rescued on Friday.