AlQa'dah 28, 1434, October 04, 2013, SPA -- Italian rescuers were battling with rough seas Friday as they continued searching for hundreds of missing from one of the worst migrant boat disasters in recent years, while the provisional death toll stood at 111, dpa reported. Waves made it difficult for scuba divers to reach the wreck of the ship which sank early Thursday near the southern Italian island of Lampedusa, the ANSA news agency said. It was thought to be carrying around 500 people from Somalia and Eritrea. "It is like a horror movie, there is a mass of bodies trapped down there," said Rocco Canell, the first diver who managed to get close to the vessel, lying at a depth of 47 meters. The dead included a pregnant woman and several children, while there were 155 survivors. Bodies were being amassed in an airport hangar, while coffins were being hauled in from mainland Sicily. A national day of mourning was being observed in Italy, with flags flying at half mast from official buildings and a minute of silence being observed in schools. In Lampedusa, where most shops were closed, and ceremony was due to take place at 6 pm (1600 GMT). -- SPA 11:45 LOCAL TIME 08:45 GMT تغريد
