Echo of Yiohan tragedy off Malta

The 1996 Christmas Day tragedy which saw nearly 300 migrants drown between Malta and Sicily has been recalled again, with an Indian MP saying he is seeking the Indian Foreign Minister's help to retrieve the remains of the victims of the tragedy from...

The 1996 Christmas Day tragedy which saw nearly 300 migrants drown between Malta and Sicily has been recalled again, with an Indian MP saying he is seeking the Indian Foreign Minister's help to retrieve the remains of the victims of the tragedy from the sea.

Some 180 of the victims were young Indian men, who died in the icy sea when the boat which was to take them to the Sicilian coast collided with the ship Yiohan, from which the migrants had been transferred a short while before. The boat had left from Marsaxlokk and had two Maltese on board.

The Press Trust of India said that Pawan Bansal wrote to the minister, S M Krishna, with his request. The MP said the Indian consulate in Malta should be asked to help retrieve the remains of the Indian victims.

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