The bodies of at least 34 deceased migrants, including a baby a few months old, washed up in southern Italy on Sunday. Report that Italian media. The migrants washed ashore after the ship they were on ran into trouble in the Mediterranean Sea and broke in two. At least 100 people are still missing, leading to fears that the death toll could rise.
The deceased migrants were found in Steccato di Cutro, a coastal town in southern Italy. About forty survivors were found on Sunday morning, according to the AP news agency. The coast guard, border police and fire brigade are trying to find the other missing people.
According to newspaper Corriere della Sera the boat had departed from Turkey and the migrants were from Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. According to initial reports, the old fishing boat on which the migrants were transported was overloaded and broke through the rough seas.
About 12,000 migrants have arrived in Italy by sea this year, according to the UN organization IOM. Until February 20, 142 people have died or gone missing. Strict action against migration is one of the spearheads of the right-wing government of Giorgia Meloni. He believes that the presence of rescue ships encourages migrants to make the dangerous crossing to Italy. A code of conduct for migrant rescue ships was therefore adopted this week. Boats are no longer allowed to continue to search for migrants in distress during a rescue operation.