Italy: Over 40 migrants die in shipwreck in southern country

More than 40 migrants, including a 1-month-old baby, died when their boat capsized off the Italian coast, near the southern Calabrian town of Crotone, days after the controversial ruling was passed. migrants in the sea.

“So far, 80 people have been recovered alive, some of them managed to make it to shore after a shipwreck, and the bodies of 43 people have been found,” the Coast Guard said in a statement.

“Dozens and dozens of drowned people, including children, many are missing. Calabria mourns this terrible tragedy,” Roberto Occhiuto, president of the Calabria region, lamented in a statement.

According to rescuers, there were about 120 people on the boat. migrants and collided with rocks a few meters from the shore. Firefighters said there were “more than 200 people” on board.

Pictures released by Italian police show pieces of wood strewn across the beach, where rescuers went while those rescued were waiting to be transferred to a reception center.

Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, leader of the Brothers Italy (IDF, far right) expressed “deep sorrow” in a statement and said it was “criminal to send a ship only 20 meters out to sea with 200 people on board and bad weather forecast.”

“The government is committed to preventing departures and similar tragedies and will continue to do so, demanding, above all, the greatest cooperation from the states of departure and origin,” he assured.

This new shipwreck comes just days after the Italian parliament passed controversial new migrant bailout rules promoted by a far-right-dominated government.

“Secret immigration”

Meloni came to power in October with a coalition promising to cut immigration to Italy.

The new law obliges humanitarian ships to carry out only one rescue operation per trip to the sea, which critics say increases the risk of loss of life in the central Mediterranean, considered the most dangerous voyage in the world for migrants.

For Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, this “tragedy (…) demonstrates how decisively it is necessary to fight clandestine immigration networks.”

Geographical position Italy makes it the preferred destination for asylum seekers moving from North Africa to Europe.

Rome has been complaining about the number of arrivals to its territory for many years. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, about 14,000 migrants arrived in the country. Italy YTD compared to 5,200 in the same period last year and 4,200 in 2021.

Although NGOs rescue only a small percentage of them – most of them are intercepted by the coast guard or warships – the government accuses them of encouraging the arrival and encouraging the smugglers with their work.

“People at sea must be saved at all costs without punishing those who help them,” Carlo Calenda, a former minister and leader of the Azione centrist party, tweeted on Sunday.

“This is unacceptable from a human point of view and it is not clear why we are witnessing avoidable tragedies here?” — the public organization Doctors Without Borders (MSF) responded on Twitter.

(According to AFP)

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Fernando Carvallo selects information and shares his vision of national and international news. subscribe to our newsletter Las cosas cos sones to read your daily columns.

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