Rome, 18 April (LaPresse) – ‘Ten years ago, in the Strait of Sicily, a terrible tragedy occurred at sea, one of the most horrific ever recorded in the Mediterranean.’ The President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, commemorates the tragedy in the Strait of Sicily. On 18 April 2015, a fishing boat overcrowded with migrants capsized 180 km south of the Italian island of Lampedusa. Only 28 people survived, while over 1,000 lost their lives. ‘The Italian Republic remembers those many women and men, many of whom will remain nameless,’ continued Mattarella. ‘It is our civilisation that prevents us from turning our backs, from remaining indifferent, from losing that sense of humanity that is the root of our values.’ The head of state then praised the ‘rescue work carried out by Italian ships’ which saved many lives and reminded the European Union that ‘maximum commitment’ is needed to manage migration in a legal manner, but with ‘respect for human life.’