Italian police on Tuesday arrested the Tunisian captain and a Syrian crew member from a refugee ship that capsized on the weekend off the Libyan coast, killing over 900 migrants.
The prosecutor, Giovanni Salvi, said the two suspects, facing charges including reckless homicide and human trafficking, were identified from among 27 survivors delivered by an Italian Coast Guard vessel.
Salvi said: “A 28th survivor was airlifted to the city on Sunday for urgent medical care.
“A reported 24 bodies have been recovered from the sea, with a possible 900 people missing.”
European Union leaders are set to gather on Thursday in Brussels for an emergency meeting on the escalating migration crisis in the Mediterranean.
The EU President, Donald Tusk, said: “It cannot continue like this.
“We cannot accept that hundreds of people died when trying to cross the sea to Europe.”
EU foreign and interior ministers met on Monday in Luxembourg to prepare action plans for Thursday’s summit.
dpa/NAN.