SOME 12 WOULD-BE IMMIGRANTS WERE FEARED DEAD WEDNESDAY AFTER THEIR BOAT CAPSIZED WHILE ON ITS WAY TO ITALY, THE ANSA NEWS AGENCY REPORTED, ACCORIDNG TO DPA. AN ITALIAN FISHING BOAT RESCUED 14 SHIPWRECKED PEOPLE AND FOUND A BODY AT SEA 187 MILES SOUTH OF THE SICILIAN ISLAND OF LAMPEDUSA, IN LIBYAN WATERS. SURVIVORS SPOKE OF 11 OTHERS STILL MISSING. THE VICTIMS' NATIONALITY WAS NOT IMMEDIATELY KNOWN. THE NEWS CAPPED AN INTENSE DAY FOR ITALY'S COAST GUARD OFFICIALS, WHO SPENT MOST OF IT RESCUING WOULD-BE IMMIGRANTS OR TRYING TO INTERCEPT SCORES OF OVERLOADED BOATS. IN A SEPARATE DEVELOPMENT, A TUNISIAN FISHING BOAT WAS REPORTEDLY HIJACKED BY A GROUP OF ABOUT 20 IMMIGRANTS WHO ASKED ITS CAPTAIN TO TAKE THEM TO LAMPEDUSA. MORE THAN 600 IMMIGRANTS ARE CURRENTLY BEING HOSTED IN LAMPEDUSA'S RECEPTION CENTRE. TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE FROM ASIA AND AFRICA DEPART EACH YEAR FROM PORTS IN LIBYA AND CROSS THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA IN SEARCH OF A NEW BEGINNING IN THE EUROPEAN UNION. MANY OF THEM BOARD OLD BOATS AND TRAGEDIES OF THE KIND REPORTED ON WEDNESDAY ARE NOT UNCOMMON.
