PM: 48 may have died in boat crash off Australia
The Associated Press, Sydney | Mon, 12/20/2010 9:40 AM
The number of asylum seekers believed killed when
their boat smashed into rocky cliffs along an Australian island has
risen to 48.
Thirty bodies have been recovered since a rickety boat packed
with Iraqi, Iranian and Kurdish asylum seekers smashed into the
rocks on Christmas Island last week.
Forty-two people were rescued from the churning surf. Officials
have been interviewing survivors in attempts to determine how many
people were on board so they can clarify how many are still missing.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard said Monday it appears about 90
asyum seekers were on the boat, which means 18 people remain
unaccounted for.
She says it's likely that the bodies of some of those people will
never be recovered.
