Wednesday, May 15

Forty-five migrants died in an Italian shipwreck; 81 survivors are reported.

Image taken from NDTV.com

The authorities say that 45 people, including some children, were killed when a wooden sailing boat carrying migrants collided with rocks off the coast of southern Italy early on Sunday morning. The boat was carrying migrants.

It had been several days since the vessel had left Turkey carrying migrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, and other countries. It ran aground in a stormy area close to a beach resort on the eastern coast of Calabria called Steccato di Cutro.

An official with the provincial government named Manuela Curra told Reuters that the number of confirmed fatalities stood at 45. She reported that 81 people survived, and 22 were taken to hospitals for treatment.

According to the customs police of Guardia di Finanza, one survivor was detained on suspicion of being involved in the trafficking of migrants.

The authorities say that 45 people, including some children, were killed when a wooden sailing boat carrying migrants collided with rocks off the coast of southern Italy early on Sunday morning. The boat was carrying migrants.

Antonio Ceraso, the Mayor of Cutro, was quoted earlier on the SkyTG24 news channel as saying that there were females and children among the deceased.

He stated that the wooden boat the migrants were travelling in had “disintegrated” due to the rough sea conditions and that there were pieces of the wreckage strewn about 300 metres of the coastline.

In a voice that was beginning to shake, Ceraso described what he saw as “A sight you would never want to witness in your lifetime… horrifying to behold… that is something that continues to be with the lifetime that follows.

A spokesman for the firefighters in the region of Calabria, Danilo Maida, told Reuters that they were searching the sea using jet skis; however, the conditions were harsh, making the operation difficult.

According to the first reports that came out of ANSA and other Italian news agencies, there were a total of 27 bodies found on the beach, with more bodies being discovered in the water.

According to the Italian news agency Adnkronos, the migrants caught in the shipwreck were from Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. However, according to the Italian news agency ANSA, the migrants were from Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria.

Illusory Image

Giorgia Meloni, the Prime Minister of Italy, has expressed “deep sorrow” over the fatal incident, and she has vowed to end irregular sea migration to prevent additional deaths at sea.

Since it came to power in October, the right-wing government has taken an aggressive stance on migration., primarily by restricting the activities of migrant rescue charities through the implementation of strict new laws.

In a separate statement, the Italian Minister of the Interior, Matteo Piantedosi, described the incident as “a massive tragedy demonstrating the absolute need to act firmly against irregular migration channels.”

It was “essential” to put an end to the sea crossings that, in addition to providing migrants with the “illusory mirage of a better life” in Europe, enrich human traffickers and “cause tragedies like today’s,” as he put it further.

During his address to the crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, Pope Francis, who has been a vocal advocate for the rights of migrants, stated that he was praying for everyone caught up in the shipwreck.

It is one of the primary points of arrival for migrants who have travelled across the Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe. The so-called “central Mediterranean route” is notorious for being one of the most difficult trade routes in the world.

According to the Missing Migrants Project run by the International Organization for Migration, 20,333 migrants have perished or been reported missing in the central Mediterranean since 2014.

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