Tragedy in Southern Italy: 59 Migrants Drown as Boat Breaks Apart
At least 59 migrants, including 12 children, drowned after their boat capsized off the coast of southern Italy.
The Coast Guard reported that a ship carrying up to 150 migrants ran into trouble in rough seas early Sunday morning near the Calabrian coastal town of Crotone.
Manuela Curra, a provincial government official, told Reuters that the migrant boat capsized three or four days after leaving Izmir in eastern Turkey.
It was transporting people from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Somalia, and survivors claim there were between 140 and 150 people on board.
58 migrants have been confirmed dead, while 81 survivors have landed, including 22 who are currently in hospitals. According to reports, the majority of survivors hail from Afghanistan.
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The Coast Guard reported that a patrol boat recovered two hypothermic men and a child’s lifeless body.
Coast guard, border patrol, and fire department vessels participated in rescue efforts.
The Italian institution for fire and rescue service, Vigili del Fuoco, reported that the migrant boat ran aground near the seaside resort of Staccato di Cutro in the province of Crotone.
Danilo Maida, a spokesman for the firefighters in the region of Calabria, stated that firefighters are still searching for additional survivors at sea, but the harsh conditions make the search difficult.
Reggio’s Coast Guard said it is coordinating search and rescue operations at sea and has dispatched two patrol boats and a helicopter from Catania Aircraft Base to search for survivors.
Rosario Maria Gianluca Valastro, the acting president of the Italian Red Cross, told Sky News that the situation was “extremely, extremely dire.”
He stated that the Italian Red Cross had nearly thirty volunteers assisting survivors alongside emergency services and the army.
“What transpired is a true catastrophe. In addition, the people are in a dire situation.”
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According to him, the Italian army is conducting research to determine how many migrants were on board, but he believes the number could be around 200.
Following the incident, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her “deep sorrow” for the victims and vowed to put an end to irregular sea migration to prevent future tragedies.
A statement from her office reads, “Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expresses her deep sorrow for the many lives cut short by human traffickers.”
“The government is committed to preventing (migrant) departures, and with them, the unfolding of these tragedies, and will continue to do so, primarily by demanding maximum cooperation from (migrants’) countries of origin and departure,” the statement continued.
In the meantime, Pope Francis stated that he was praying for everyone involved in the migrant boat disaster.
“I was saddened to hear of the shipwreck off the coast of Calabria, close to Crotone. Already forty bodies have been discovered, the majority of them children “In his weekly address to the crowds in St. Peter’s Square, he stated.
“I pray for every one of them, the missing and those who have survived.”
