- By Kathryn Armstrong
- BBC News
February 26, 2023 at 09:50 GMT
Updated 25 minutes ago
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Watch: Footage shows Italian emergency services helping survivors
More than 40 migrants, including a baby, have died and dozens more survived after their overloaded boat sank in rough seas off southern Italy.
The ship reportedly broke apart while attempting to land near the coastal town of Crotone, in the Calabria region, with about 150 people on board.
Many bodies were recovered on the beach at a nearby seaside resort.
Many people fleeing conflict and poverty make the crossing from Africa to Italy every year.
“As of this writing, 80 people have been recovered alive, including some who made it to shore after the sinking,” the Coast Guard said in a statement.
“Forty-three bodies were found along the coast,” she added.
Manuela Curra, a local government official, told Portal that the boat left the Turkish coastal city of Izmir three or four days ago.
Those on board were mainly from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia and Iran, according to Italian officials, and President Sergio Mattarella said many had fled “very difficult conditions”.
A survivor was arrested on charges of migrant trafficking, customs police said.
The ship sank after hitting rocks in rough weather, Adnkronos news agency said.
The Italian authorities have carried out a major search and rescue operation on land and at sea.
Video footage shows wood from the wreck being ripped into pieces and washed up on the beach, along with parts of the hull.
Survivors can be seen huddled under blankets being tended to by Red Cross workers. Some were taken to the hospital.
Image source, Shutterstock
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Dozens of people survived the sinking of the boat
“There have been landings, but never such a tragedy,” Cruto Mayor Antonio Ceraso told Rai News.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni – who was elected last year in part on a promise to stem the flow of migrants into Italy – expressed her “deep sadness” at the incident, blaming traffickers for the deaths.
“It is inhumane to trade the lives of men, women and children for the price of the ‘ticket’ they paid for in the wrong perspective of safe travel,” she said in a statement.
“The Government is committed to preventing exits and thus the unfolding of these tragedies and will continue to do so.”
Carlo Calenda, Italy’s former economy minister, said people in distress at sea should be rescued “at all costs” but added that “illegal immigration routes must be closed”.
Ms Meloni’s right-wing government has vowed to stop migrants from reaching Italy’s shores and in recent days has pushed through a tough new law tightening bailout rules.
According to monitoring groups, more than 20,000 people have died or disappeared at sea in the central Mediterranean since 2014.
European Commission President Ursula van der Leyen said she was “deeply saddened” by the incident, adding that the “death of innocent migrants is a tragedy”. She said it was crucial to “double our efforts” to make progress on reforming the EU’s asylum rules to tackle the challenges related to migration to Europe.
Pope Francis, who often defends the rights of migrants, said he prays for the dead, the missing and the survivors.