At least 59 dead as boat carrying migrant refugees sink near Italian coast

Europe, Middle East, News February 27, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

A boat carrying at least 150 migrant refugees sank off the coast of Italy near the city of Crotone in the southern region of Calabria. 58 people have been reported dead, including several women and children.

The boat was carrying migrants from Afghanistan, Iran, and several other countries. Officials say that the boat must have set off for sail from Turkey several days ago and crashed on February 26, 2023, due to the stormy weather near Steccato di Cutro, a seaside resort on the eastern coast of Calabria.

According to a provincial-level Italian official named Manuela Curra, the death toll currently stands at 58. Many bodies were recovered from the nearby beaches while some people are still missing.

Earlier, the Italian coastguard confirmed that around 80 people have been recovered alive from the wreckage of the boat, including some who managed to reach the shores after swimming across the stormy sea. Local police also arrested one survivor on the charges of human trafficking.

Dozens of migrants have drowned after their boat broke apart in rough seas off southern Italy. Rescuers so far recovered nearly 60 bodies. At least 80 migrants were rescued. pic.twitter.com/pue5n97LGW
— IRIA (@IRIA_Research) February 26, 2023

Italy’s President Sergio Mattarella said that “Many of these migrants came from Afghanistan and Iran, fleeing conditions of great hardship.” Large numbers of people fleeing conflict and poverty make the crossing from Africa to Italy each year. Italy is one of the main landing points for migrants trying to enter Europe by sea.

This is not the first time that such an incident has happened on European shores. European governments are passing strict laws to stop migrants and refugees from entering their countries.

Italy’s 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. The latest tragedy comes just days after Italy’s hard-right government pushed through parliament a controversial new law on rescuing refugees and migrants. The law forces rescue vessels to make just one rescue attempt at a time, which critics say risks increasing the number of drownings in the central Mediterranean.

*^{A refugee boat carrying more than 130 migrants collided with rocks in southern Italy. (Image Credit: Reuters)}*

Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi commented on the incident by stating that it was “a huge tragedy which shows the absolute need to act firmly against irregular migration channels.”

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said she was “deeply saddened” by this tragedy and called for progress on a hindered reform of the European Union’s asylum rules. She posted on Twitter: “We must redouble our efforts on the (EU) Pact on Migration and Asylum and on the Action Plan on the Central Mediterranean”.

Pope Francis, a vocal advocate for migrants’ rights, said he was praying for everyone caught up in the shipwreck during his weekly address to crowds in St Peter’s Square.

Last year alone, at least 2,800 people have died while crossing the Central Mediterranean route, which is considered the most dangerous migrant crossing in the world.