Dozens of bodies of shipwrecked migrants have washed ashore in Italy’s far south. At least 40 people have been killed, Italian media report. Among them are several children. A baby of a few months old also died, public broadcaster RAI reports.
The boat would have departed from Turkey. The ship would have been overloaded and unable to withstand the rough seas, causing it to break in two in the Mediterranean. There would have been about 180 migrants on it when the accident happened early this morning.
Sea rescue
About 50 people have been rescued, but many are still missing. Some have reached the coast on their own, reports the RAI. According to news agency Ansa, there are still bodies at sea that need to be recovered.
The bodies were found on the beach at Steccato di Cutro, a coastal town near the town of Crotone. Police and emergency services are on site. Patrol boats and a Coast Guard helicopter assist in the rescue effort.
The Adnkronos news agency reports that the migrants come from Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
In the past, migrants have often washed ashore in the south of Italy trying to reach Europe via the so-called Mediterranean route. At least 20,333 people have died or gone missing on that route since 2014, according to the International Organization for Migration.
The Italian island of Lampedusa is usually the first destination of many migrants who often cross from Libya and Tunisia. At the beginning of this month, ten more bodies of migrants were taken from a fishing boat.
- Dozens of migrants missing after shipwreck off Libyan coast
- Ten migrants, including baby, dead off Italian island of Lampedusa
