The shipwreck of a boat with more than 140 refugees on board off the coast of Italy has already claimed 67 lives. Italian police report that rescuers have found one more adult and two children.
The overcrowded wooden boat sank off the coast of Calabria on Sunday morning in a stormy sea. Emergency services will continue to search for victims on Wednesday. Several are still missing.
A Frontex plane spotted the overloaded fishing boat on Saturday evening, more than 40 nautical miles off the Italian coast. Two ships were sent to the scene, but they failed to find the boat. A distress call was not received until Sunday morning, upon which the Carabinieri and Coast Guards were deployed. But when they arrived, the boat had already sunk.
The migrant ship had departed from Turkey. On board were reportedly mainly Afghans, Iranians, Iraqis and Syrians who were trying to reach Europe. About 79 people could be saved, but at least 67 people have already died. Bodies are still washing up on Italian beaches here and there, such as the body of a girl on Wednesday morning. A little earlier, a child and an adult were found. The number of underage victims rises to 16.
The new shipping disaster has revived the discussion, in Italy and the rest of Europe, about the right approach to the migration crisis. Three people smugglers have been arrested because of the drama.
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