Survivors Say Italy Capsized Albanian Boat

Survivors from a capsized Albanian refugee boat say an Italian warship purposely rammed their craft, killing at least four people, Albania’s ambassador to Italy said Sunday.

Albania’s foreign minister called for an international inquiry into Friday’s collision.

“The Italian forces have acted arbitrarily, when they could have used many other methods to stop the boat,” Foreign Minister Arjan Starova said. He wrote his Italian counterpart, Lamberto Dini, to request the investigation, state radio reported.

Four bodies were recovered from the Adriatic Sea and 34 Albanians were rescued after the boats collided. There were fears that many more people may have drowned. Estimates of the number of passengers ranged from 45 to 150.

Italy has rejected allegations it was at fault, saying Saturday that the Albanian vessel steered into the warship’s path. However, the Italian ship’s commander has been placed under investigation, the Milan newspaper Corriere della Sera reported Sunday.

Albania’s ambassador to Italy, Pandeli Pasko, interviewed the 34 survivors Saturday. Based on those interviews, he provided police with a list of 79 more people who were believed to be on the boat, which was carrying refugees attempting to flee the chaos in Albania, Italy’s ANSA news agency said.

The allegations seem certain to worsen relations between Italy and Albania, which have had close ties. They also could cause ill feelings toward Italian troops heading an international force due to arrive in Albania within two weeks.

As expected, Albania’s parliament on Sunday approved the deployment of the force.