After their boat capsized in choppy waters near southern Italy, at least 59 migrants—including 12 children—are believed dead and dozens more are missing.

At the Calabrian coastal town of Crotone, the boat broke apart as it attempted to land. At least 150 people were aboard, according to survivors.

According to the president of Italy, many of them were escaping trying circumstances.

Matteo Piantedosi, the interior minister, visited the area and stated that up to 30 individuals might still be missing.

The dead included a newborn who was believed to be only a few months old, according to the Italian news agency Ansa.

A nearby coastal resort’s beach was where bodies were found.

The coast guard reported that 80 individuals, “including some who managed to reach the shore after the sinking,” had been found alive.

Rescue personnel told the AFP news agency that the boat had been carrying “more than 200 people,” which would leave more than 60 people missing. The actual number of passengers on the boat when it broke apart is unknown.

The vessel, which departed from Turkey a few days ago, was transporting people from Iran, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.

Every year, a sizable number of people travel from Africa to Italy in an effort to escape war or poverty.

After the Libya shipwreck, at least 73 migrants were lost.
In his first speech, Italy’s new PM takes aim at immigration.
The ship is said to have sunk after colliding with rocks in bad weather, prompting a significant search and rescue effort on land and at sea.

In video footage, bits of the hull and broken-up lumber from the debris can be seen washing up on the beach.

Red Cross employees are seen tending to survivors as they are seen huddled behind blankets. Some of them have been hospitalized.

The mayor of Cruto, Antonio Ceraso, told Rai News that while there had been landings, “there had never been a disaster like this.”

Under blankets, survivors of a shipwreck off the coast of Calabria gather.
Source image: Shutterstock
picture caption
Many individuals were able to escape the sinking boat.
According to customs police, one survivor was detained on suspicion of trafficking in migrants.

Giorgia Meloni, the Italian prime minister, expressed “great grief” and attributed the deaths to traffickers. Meloni was elected last year in part on a promise to stop the influx of migrants entering Italy.

In a statement, she said, “It is barbaric to exchange men, women, and children’s lives for the cost of the ‘ticket’ they purchased in the false expectation of a safe travel.

The government has made a commitment and will keep making efforts to stop departures and the subsequent unfolding of these tragedies.

The right-wing government of Ms. Meloni has sworn to prevent migrants from reaching Italian beaches and has recently passed a strict new law that tightens the guidelines for rescue operations.

Former Italian economy minister Carlo Calenda argued that saving mariners in trouble should be done “at any cost,” but added that “illegal immigration channels must be closed.”

Ursula van der Leyen, president of the European Commission, expressed her “deep sadness” at the occurrence and added that the “loss of life of innocent refugees is a tragedy.” To address the issues relating to migration into Europe, she stated that it was essential to “redouble our efforts” in order to advance with revising EU asylum procedures.

The site of Crotone, which is on the Italian Calabrian coast and where the migrant boat capsized, may be seen on a map of the Mediterranean.
Often standing up for immigrant rights, Pope Francis has stated that he is praying for the deceased, the missing, and those who have survived.

Monitoring organizations report that since 2014, over 20,000 individuals have perished or gone missing at sea in the central Mediterranean.

According to Regina Catrambone, head of the Migrant Offshore Aid Station, which conducts search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean, European nations must cooperate to save the less fortunate.

She also urged an end to the “myopic view” that claims that nations that are geographically closer to Africa and the Middle East should take the initiative in addressing the problem.

She urged governments to cooperate in order to enhance search and rescue operations and create safe and legal routes, saying, “Yet there is no co-operation among the European states to actively coordinate together to go and help the people in need.”