Council of Europe launches probe into migrant drownings

Council of Europe launches probe into migrant drownings

Dutch senator to probe migrant deaths in Mediterranean

* Over 1,000 migrants said to have died at sea since January

* France, NATO deny not helping migrant boat in distress

STRASBOURG, France, June 23 (Reuters) - Parliamentarians at the Council of Europe launched an investigation on Thursday to determine if European states had any role in the drowning of more than 1,000 migrants in the Mediterranean since January.

The shores of rich southern Europe are a powerful draw for thousands of poor migrants from North Africa, many of whom perish during the perilous sea crossing when their boats, often rickety and overloaded with people, sink or go adrift.

Britain's Guardian newspaper reported last month that no rescue was attempted when a boat from Libya carrying 72 people ran into trouble and drifted for 16 days -- although it had made contact with a military helicopter and a NATO warship. All but 10 of the passengers died on the boat.

NATO denied the report, and France said that its Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier was not involved in the incident.

"I intend to see how these boats are, or are not, intercepted by the various national coast guards, by the Frontex agency that patrols the EU's external borders or even military vessels," said Dutch Senator Tineke Strik, a member of the Greenleft party.

After popular revolts in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, some 35,000 Africans have crossed the Mediterranean and landed at the Italian island of Lampedusa, which has become a waystation for migrants trying to reach other parts of Europe

To prevent such migrants from circulating freely around Europe, EU governments led by France and Italy plan to tighten border controls within the bloc's Schengen free travel zone.

The Council of Europe's parliamentary assembly, citing humanitarian groups, estimates that at least 1,000 people have died since January trying to cross the Mediterranean.

Please click here for a Special Report on illegal immigration in Europe: (Reporting by Gilbert Reilhac, writing by Nick Vinocur, editing by Alistair