MORE THAN 40 DEAD AS BOAT CARRYING MIGRANTS, REFUGEES SINKS OFF ITALY

Sun 26 February 2023:

A boat carrying migrants and refugees sank off the coast of Crotone, Italy, in the southern area of Calabria, resulting in 43 fatalities and 80 rescues.

The Sunday shipwreck occurred close to Steccato di Cutro, a beach resort on the Calabria coast, the area that makes up the toe of Italy’s boot.

The Italian coastguard said in a statement on Twitter that rescue operations were ongoing.

More than 40 dead as boat carrying migrants, refugees sinks off Italyhttps://t.co/PQAy637yTC pic.twitter.com/SlJFcpE8gP

— INDEPENDENT PRESS (@IpIndependent) February 26, 2023

Italy’s news agency ANSA added that the search for survivors was continuing despite stormy seas.

According to a rescuer published by the AGI news agency, the violent waves caused the overcrowded vessel to split apart. One of the victims, according to the report, was a baby just a few months old.

The boat carrying passengers from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Somalia left from Izmir in eastern Turkey three or four days ago, according to Manuela Curra, a regional government official.

“According to survivors, 140 to 150 people had been aboard,” Curra said.

By mid-morning, about 40 survivors had been found, said Luca Cari, a spokesperson for firefighters who were involved in rescue efforts. Some survivors made it to shore on their own.

The latest such tragedy comes just days after Italy’s hard-right government pushed through parliament a controversial new law on rescuing refugees and migrants.

Far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was elected last September partly on a promise to stem the flow of refugees and migrants reaching Italian shores.

In a statement on Sunday, she expressed her “deep sorrow” over the incident and “the many human lives cut short by human traffickers”.

During his Sunday address to crowds in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis, a staunch supporter of immigrants’ rights, said he was praying for everyone caught up in the shipwreck.

One of the primary entry places for migrants trying to reach Europe by sea is Italy.

The Central Mediterranean Route, which is regarded as the most hazardous migrant crossing in the world, saw at least 2,836 fatalities in 2022.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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