The arrests were made aboard a rescue boat that carried 27 survivors to Sicily.
Italian Premier Matteo Renzi is urging Europe to prevent boats from leaving Libya, citing an escalation in “death voyages.” The crossing from Libya to the Italian island of Lampedusa has become the most deadly migrant routes in the world, with about 1,600 deaths this year alone — if estimates from the most recent wreck are correct.
The chaos caused by the current political and economic collapse in Libya is causing an increased number of Africans risking their lives to flee the conflict, as well as a flourishing smuggling trade in the coastal port cities.
As of Sunday afternoon, only 28 people had been rescued from the wreckage.
