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Pope and Hollande Call for International Action on Migrant Crisis

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Pope Francis and French President Francois Hollande on Sunday both called for international action after a boat crowded with migrants capsized in the sea north of Libya overnight, leaving at least 24 confirmed dead with the death toll expected to rise into the hundreds.
 
In his Angelus, the pontiff appealed to the international community to act "decisively and promptly", to prevent similar tragedies from happening again.
 
The president, meanwhile, said that if confirmed, the latest incident would be the worst disaster in the Mediterranean in recent years, adding "we must act".
 
He called for an urgent meeting of Europe's interior and foreign ministers to discuss how to tackle the migrant crisis.
 
In a statement on the latest incident, the Italian Coast Guard said that the migrants' 20-metre (66-foot) vessel was reported to be sinking as a Portuguese-registered merchant ship approached to attempt a rescue.
 
It picked up 28 passengers, but the boat then capsized, sending hundreds more tumbling into the water.
 
The Italian news agency ANSA said the boat may have held 700 passengers.
 
But the Coast Guard and other authorities said they had no immediate way to determine how many were aboard or how many might still be rescued.
 
The estimated death toll was expected to be clarified as officers interviewed survivors, although many bodies were expected never to be recovered.
 
So far this year, more than 900 migrants have died in failed crossings.
 
Only last week, 400 people were presumed drowned when another boat capsized.

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