Italy intercepts ship of immigrants after crew vanishes

Italy intercepts ship of immigrants after crew vanishes
(Image credit: iStock)

Italian authorities took over a cargo ship carrying hundreds of would-be immigrants on Tuesday after the crew aimed the vessel at the coast and left. Italy sent a naval frigate and a helicopter to investigate after a passenger on the Moldovan-flagged Blue Sky M sent a distress call as the ship passed Greece, although the captain had said the ship needed no assistance. The Italian sailors took control when they found no crew on board, and discovered that the ship had been programmed to crash into shore. They were able to successfully steer the ship to safety.

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Harold Maass, The Week US

Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.