Nearly 60 dead as migrant boat wrecks off Italy

A wooden boat carrying migrants slammed into a rock off the coast of Italy before dawn on Sunday and broke into pieces, officials said. Rescuers recovered nearly 60 of his bodies, with dozens more missing in the rough seas.

The death toll could exceed 100 as some survivors suggested the boat had as many as 200 passengers on board when it left Turkey, according to the UN refugee and migration agency. I was afraid of

At least 80 people were found alive, including those who reached shore after being shipwrecked just off the Calabrian coastline along the Ionian Sea, according to the Italian Coast Guard. Her one of the agency’s motorboats rescued her two men suffering from hypothermia and helped the boy’s body recover.

As sunset approached, firefighters said 59 bodies had been found.

One man was taken into custody for questioning after fellow survivors suggested he was a trafficker, according to state television.

The boat crashed into a coral reef in rough, windy seas. Her three large chunks of the ship landed on a beach near the town of Stecker Todiktro. There, pieces of deep blue wood were scattered on the sand like matchsticks.

“The survivors are all adults,” said Red Cross volunteer Ignazio Mangione. “Unfortunately, all the children were either among the missing or found dead on the beach.” A baby was reported among the dead.

The motorboat was expected to continue the search overnight despite worsening weather conditions. Rescue divers were struggling with high waves.

Italian state television, citing survivors, said the boat left Turkey five days ago.

A reporter for Italy’s RAI state television, standing next to the wreckage on the beach, noted a life preserver with the word “Smyrna” on it, the Turkish port also known as Izmir.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organization for Migration said in a joint statement that more than 170 migrants were estimated to have been on the ship.

Among them were “children and whole families,” according to a United Nations statement, with most of the passengers coming from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Somalia.

Showing previously that it was difficult to determine how many passengers had set sail on the voyage, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said about 200 people were crammed into the 20-meter (66-foot) boat.

Rescue efforts included state fire, coast guard, and border police vessels, as well as helicopters and police aircraft. Local fishermen also joined the search.

The bodies were taken to a sports stadium in the nearest city, Crotone. A local priest said he blessed many of them while they were still lying on the beach.

Many of the survivors were wrapped in blankets or quilts and taken by bus to makeshift shelters. State TV said 22 survivors had been taken to hospital.

Pope Francis told believers in St. Peter’s Square that he was praying for the dead, the missing and the survivors. He added that he was also praying for the rescuers and “for those who welcomed” the migrants.

“This is a tremendous tragedy,” Crotone mayor Vincenzo Voce told RAI. “United, the city will find a place for the dead in the cemetery.”

About 105,000 migrants will arrive on the Italian coast in 2022, about 38,000 more than in 2021, according to Interior Ministry statistics.

According to United Nations statistics, 15 percent of those arriving through Turkey accounted for 15 percent, with nearly half of them fleeing Afghanistan.

In a statement released by the prime minister’s office on Sunday, Meloni expressed “deep sorrow at the many lives torn apart by traffickers”.

“It is inhumane to trade the lives of men, women and children for the ‘price’ of air tickets they have paid for the false prospect of safe voyage.” League Party.

She vowed to crack down on departures arranged by human smugglers and seek help from fellow European Union leaders.

Opposition parties pointed to Sunday’s tragedy as evidence of the flaws in Italy’s immigration policy.

“It is hypocrisy to blame smugglers alone, as the centre-right is doing now,” said Laura Ferrara, MEP for the populist 5 Star movement.

“The truth is that today the EU does not offer effective alternatives for those forced to abandon their countries of origin,” Ferrara said in a statement.

Another route taken by traffickers is across the central Mediterranean from the Libyan coast. Immigrants often endure brutal detention for months before being allowed to board inflatables or dilapidated wooden fishing boats for the Italian coast, the most dangerous route. is considered one of the safest routes.

Meloni’s government Complicating Humanitarian Vessel Efforts To carry out multiple rescues in the central Mediterranean by allocating ports of disembarkation along the northern Italian coast, ships return to sea after safely disembarking rescued people, often hundreds of migrants. requires more time to

Humanitarian groups said the crackdown would also include ordering charity boats to head immediately to designated safe ports after the initial rescue effort, instead of staying at sea in hopes of conducting other rescues. Violators face stiff fines and confiscation of rescue vessels.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella has called on the European Union to “finally and concretely assume responsibility for controlling the migration phenomenon and keeping it free from traffickers”. He said that the country should help develop the decision to risk dangerous sea travel.

For years, Italy has complained bitterly that fellow EU member states are reluctant to accept some arrivals, many of whom are looking to find families and jobs in northern Europe. I was.