A Catholic Bishop has likened the loss of innocent lives in the Mediterranean to the the Irish experience on 'coffin ships' during the time of the Great Famine.
The Bishop of Cloyne William Crean - who's also Chairman of Trócaire - has called for special prayers to be said at mass for those caught up in the refugee crisis.
Bishop Crean welcomed the humanitarian response of the Irish Naval Service.
He says we have an obligation to safeguard the rights of migrants fleeing persecution.
And he says he has grave concerns that not enough is being done to punish the traffickers at the centre of this crisis;
Meanwhile, the operator of the Channel Tunnel is threatening to sue the British government for as much as 300-million euro if it decides to suspend overnight services because of the migrants crisis.
According to reports in The Daily Telegraph and The Times, Eurotunnel has accused British ministers of "sowing panic among customers and investors".
Its president, Jacques Gounon, has apparently sent a letter the UK government threatening to seek compensation.
