At least 59 people died Sunday after a wooden boat carrying migrants smashed against rocks near the coast of southern Italy, officials said.
The Italian Coast Guard said at least 81 people were found alive, “some of whom succeeded in reaching the shore after the shipwreck.” Among those aboard were children and families; only adults survived the horrific crash.
“All of the survivors are adults,” Red Cross volunteer Ignazio Mangione said. “Unfortunately, all the children are among the missing or were found dead on the beach.”
A months-old baby and an 8-year-old boy were among the dead.
Rescuers recover a body after a migrant boat. AP/Giuseppe Pipita
At least 43 were killed in the shipwreck. AP/Giuseppe PipitaThe shipwreck occurred near Steccato di Cutro, a seaside resort on the eastern coast of Calabria, which forms the tip of Italy’s boot.
“At present, a total of 80 people have been found alive – some of whom have managed to reach the shore after the shipwreck – and 43 bodies have been found along the coast,” the coast guard said in a statement.
More than 170 migrants were aboard the boat when it hit rocks “a few meters from the shore,” officials said. The coast guard continued a search for other possible survivors.
Italian Red Cross volunteers and coast guards carry bags containing the bodies of migrants who died. AP/ Antonino Durso
Over 120 migrants were onboard prior to the wreck. AP/Giuseppe PipitaWhile the recovery mission was underway, cloth-covered bodies were being brought to a sports stadium in the nearest city, Crotone.
The Mayor of Cutro, Antonio Ceraso, told the SkyTG24 news channel that women and children were among the dead and that the migrants’ boat had “disintegrated” amid dismal sea conditions.
Wreckage has been left across the 984 feet of the coast.
His voice cracking up, Ceraso said he witnessed “a spectacle that you would never want to see in your life … a gruesome sight … that stays with you for all your life.”
Firefighters scoured the sea on jet skis, but harsh conditions were making the operation difficult, Calabria firefighters’ spokesman Danilo Maida told Reuters.
After being rescued migrants sit down recovering from the traumatic experience. AP/Antonino Durso/LaPresseInitial reports said 27 bodies washed up on the beach, and more were found in the water. There were conflicting reports about where the migrants were from, with some news agencies saying they came from Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan; others said they were from Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria.
State TV quoted survivors saying the boat had embarked five days earlier from Turkey.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed “deep sorrow” for the deadly incident, and pledged to stop sea migration to prevent further deaths at sea.
Since taking office in October, Meloni’s government has cracked down on migration by restricting the activities of migrant rescue charities with tough new laws. Italy is one of the main points of entry for migrants looking to enter Europe through sea, but its central Mediterranean route is also incredibly dangerous.
According to the International Organization for Migration’s Missing Migrants Project, 20,333 people have died or gone missing in the central Mediterranean since 2014.
The wreckage from a capsized boat washes ashore at a beach. AP/Giuseppe Pipita
Wood washes ashore after a migrant boat crashed into rocks in the southern Italian waters. AP/Antonino Durso/LaPresse“It is a huge tragedy which shows the absolute need to act firmly against irregular migration channels,” Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said in a separate statement.
It was “essential” to stop sea crossings which, offering migrants the “illusory mirage of a better life” in Europe, enrich traffickers and “cause tragedies like today’s,” he added.
During his Sunday address in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis said he was praying for everyone involved in the shipwreck.
With Post wires
