The Italian Coast Guard announced that 43 irregular migrants lost their lives in the boat disaster off the coast of Italy, and 80 migrants survived the accident.
The loss of life has increased in the boat disaster that occurred off the coast of Steccato di Cutro, a coastal town in Crotone in the Calabria region of Italy. In the statement made by the Italian Coast Guard, it was stated that 43 irregular immigrants lost their lives in the boat disaster, and 80 immigrants survived the accident. The statement said, “At the moment, 80 people survived, some of whom managed to reach the shore after the shipwreck. 43 bodies were found along the shore.”
It was stated that the wooden boat with irregular migrants sank as a result of colliding with rocks “a few meters off the shore”, and search and rescue efforts continue.
In a statement to the press, Cutro Mayor Antonio Ceraso stated that women and children were among the dead and said that the boat was “torn apart” as a result of adverse weather conditions and the debris was scattered along the coastline for about 300 meters.
Calabria Fire Brigade Spokesperson Danilo Maida stated that firefighters searched the sea with jet skis, but the operation became difficult due to bad weather conditions.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed “deep regret” for the fatal incident, vowing to stop irregular sea migration to prevent further deaths at sea.
Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said: “It is a great tragedy that shows the need to act decisively against irregular migration channels”, adding that it offers migrants “the dream of a better life” in Europe, enriches traffickers and “causing tragedies like today”. stressed the need to stop sea crossings.
According to the Missing Migrants Project of the International Organization for Migration, 20,333 people have lost their lives or disappeared in the Central Mediterranean since 2014.
The opinions expressed herein are the author’s and not necessarily those of News2Sea.
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