Calabria: As reported by the Italian coast guard and police, 59 individuals were killed after a boat carrying migrants collided with rocks on the coast of southern Italy early on Sunday. The shipwreck occurred at Steccato di Cutro, a seaside resort on Calabria’s eastern coast.
“At this time, a total of 80 individuals have been recovered alive—some of whom managed to reach land after the shipwreck—and 59 dead have been located along the coast,” the coast guard said in a statement.
The boat was carrying around 120 people when it collided with rocks “a few metres from the shore,” according to the coast guard, who added that the search for other possible survivors was ongoing.
Previously, the mayor of Cutro, Antonio Ceraso, told SkyTG24 that the migrants’ wooden boat had “disintegrated” due to rough seas. Pieces of the shipwreck ruins were discovered strewn down the coast for around 300 metres.
Ceraso described what he saw as “a spectacle that you would never want to see in your life… a horrific sight… that sticks with you for the rest of your life.”
Firefighters scanning the water on jet skis had difficulties owing to the tough weather, according to Calabria firefighters’ spokesperson Danilo Maida, who told Reuters.
The migrants caught up in the shipwreck came from Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, according to Adnkronos (an Italian news agency), while ANSA stated they came from Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed “great grief” for the fatal tragedy and promised to put an end to irregular sea migration in order to prevent such tragedies at sea.
“It is a tragic tragedy that demonstrates the fundamental necessity of acting strongly against irregular migration channels,” said Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi in a statement.
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