Rescue and recovery of survivors of a wooden boat on the coast of Calabria, Italy, according to Italian Prime Minister Michele Perini
Italian authorities say 59 people, including children and women, died when a wooden boat broke apart off the coast of Calabria.
Around 80 people were saved from the water clinging on to pieces of the boat, Italy’s fire brigade told CNN. Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan were where the survivors were from.
The Italian Prime Minister said that the migrants were crowded into a long boat in bad weather. In a statement released by her office, she expressed “her deep sorrow for the many human lives torn away by human traffickers.”
She vowed to use her leadership to press for crackdowns on departures arranged by human smugglers and to press fellow European Union leaders to help Italy in her quest.
There was a chunk of the boat along with piles of splintered wood on the beach at Steccato di Cutro. Some of the survivors were wrapped in colorful sheets or blankets to keep warm.
The statement said that a Coast Guard motorboat rescued two men from the rough seas and recovered thebody of a boy from the water. Rescue divers recovered three bodies, which were pulled by a strong current far away from the wreck.
Pope Francis and the rescue of migrant sailors: A warning warning to search for asylum seekers in the Mediterranean Sea (after Piantedosi)
Francis told the people in St. Peter’s Square that he prayed for the missing and the others who survived. The pontiff added he also was praying for the rescuers “and for those who give welcome” to the migrants.
It wasn’t clear where the boat had set out from, but most migrant vessels arrive from Turkish or Egyptian shores. Many boats, including sailboats, reach remote parts of Italy’s long southern coastline by virtue of the coast guard or humanitarian rescue vessels.
Most of the migrants departing from Libya are fleeing poverty in sub-Saharan Africa or in Asian countries including Bangladesh and Pakistan, not war or persecution, and risk having asylum bids denied by Italian authorities.
The death toll is provisional and likely to rise. Bad weather in that part of the Mediterranean sea is hampering search efforts by making the field of debris larger.
Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi added that new measures must be instituted to reduce such perilous journeys. He said that it was important to continue with every attempt to stop departures and discourage crossings in order to keep the illusion of a better life.
The arrivals of exotic species: the United States, the UK and other African nations compared with the rest of the world in terms of arrival origins
Only 8.3% of arrivals are from Pakistan, 6.7% from Afghanistan and 0.7% from Iran. Africa has the majority of arrivals with 14.3% coming from Ivory Coast and 13.1% fromGuinea. Most of the rest are made up of other African nations.