Matteo Salvini was accused of kidnap and dereliction of duty for refusing to let a rescue boat dock in 2019.

So far 18 people have been rescued from the sea with many of the survivors suffering from injuries after the incident.

The girl from Sierra Leone said all the 44 migrants on board had died in the storms and high waves.

Ibrahima Bah was sentenced to nine and a half years' detention in February over four deaths.

Belgian police are cracking down on smugglers before boats and migrants reach the French coast.

The number of people crossing the Channel in small boats has passed 20,000 since Labour came to power.

A charity boss says the Mediterranean is "littered with bodies" as deaths leave students angry.

It is believed about 50 people were onboard the vessel which sank in the Aegean Sea.