The shipwreck of a fishing boat in Steccato di Cutro on the southern Italian coast left at least dozens of migrants drowned, including a baby, a three-year-old and a seven-year-old child. So far, 60 people have been found dead, but the number could rise to well over a hundred.
Twenty children are among the dead, writes the Italian news agency ANSA. The rickety fishing boat could not withstand the high waves and the lying rocks in the sea.
The countless deaths have once again made it clear that there is still no solution for the huge flows of migrants that continuously come to Europe. The president of the Calabria region, Roberto Occhiuto, shouts: “Calabria is in mourning, where is Europe? What have the discussions with the countries where the migrants come from led to?” Nobody has the answer.
Near the sea on the beach in Steccato di Cutro, rows of white sheets lie over the dead migrants. A priest stops by and blesses them. There is a lot of police present. The coast guard is also using two motorboats and a helicopter to search for survivors in the Ionian Sea. The rough sea complicates the search. The Red Cross and other organizations are taking care of the survivors.
Incomprehensible English
The European Border and Coast Guard Agency Frontex had spotted the boat on Saturday evening, but was unable to reach the boat due to the rough seas and had passed on a signal to the Italian authorities. Around four in the morning the first alarm came to the Coast Guard, a phone call in almost incomprehensible English. A fisherman found the broken boat and a number of bodies washed up early this morning around five o’clock. The police believe that several migrants saved themselves. The total number of victims of the tragedy is unclear. So far, 80 migrants have been rescued. Some of them have been transferred to the hospital for a check-up, while 59 others have been transferred to an asylum seekers centre.
It is still not known how many people were packed on the packed fishing boat. According to some survivors, there were 120 people on board, others speak of more than double, namely 250. In that case, the number of victims will be well over a hundred. The boat had left the western Turkish city of Izmir four days ago. The migrants came mainly from Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan and do not speak English, which makes communication difficult.
Block departure
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni took office in October last year and leads a right-wing cabinet. When she was still in the opposition, she argued that naval ships off the African coast should block the departure of migrants. She didn’t work hard for it anymore. She did say that the government is now committed to not letting the migrants leave. She also called on the countries from which the migrants depart for maximum cooperation.
Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi also said that the departure of migrants to Europe must stop to avoid tragedies. “It is an immense tragedy that shows that the irregular flows of migrants must be countered with determination,” said the minister. Piantedosi points to the smugglers who ruthlessly profit from these trips at the expense of the migrants’ safety. That is why he wants the migrants to be discouraged from making the risky crossing.