The shipwreck took place near Steccato di Cutro, a seaside resort on the eastern coast of Calabria
\n Steccato di Cutro
\nForty-three people died while 80 people survived when a boat carrying migrants crashed against rocks near the coast of southern Italy early on Sunday, the Italian coast guard and police said.
\nThe shipwreck took place near Steccato di Cutro, a seaside resort on the eastern coast of Calabria, the region that forms the tip of Italy\u2019s boot.
\n\u201cAt present, a total of 80 people have been found alive – some of whom have managed to reach the shore after the shipwreck – and 45 bodies have been found along the coast,\u201d the coast guard said in a statement.
\nThe boat was carrying about 120 people and hit rocks \u201ca few metres from the shore,\u201d the coast guard said, adding that the search for other possible survivors was still on.
\nEarlier, the Mayor of Cutro, Antonio Ceraso, told the SkyTG24 news channel that women and children were among the dead.
\nHe said the migrants\u2019 wooden boat had \u201cdisintegrated\u201d amid stormy sea conditions, with parts of the wreckage ruins strewn across some 300 metres of the coast.
\nHis voice cracking up, Ceraso said he witnessed \u201ca spectacle that you would never want to see in your life … a gruesome sight … that stays with you for all your life.\u201d
\nFirefighters were searching the sea on jet skis, but conditions were harsh making the operation difficult, Calabria firefighters\u2019 spokesman Danilo Maida told Reuters.
\nInitial reports from ANSA and other Italian news agencies, spoke of 27 bodies washed up on the beach and more found in the water.
\nItalian news agency Adnkronos said the migrants caught up in the shipwreck came from Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan, while ANSA said they came from Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria.
\n\u2018ILLUSORY MIRAGE\u2019
\nItalian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed \u201cdeep sorrow\u201d for the deadly incident, and vowed to stop irregular sea migration to prevent more deaths at sea.
\nHer right-wing government has taken a hard line on migration since it took power in October, mostly by restricting the activities of migrant rescue charities with tough new laws.
\n\u201cIt is a huge tragedy which shows the absolute need to act firmly against irregular migration channels,\u201d Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said in a separate statement.
\nIt was \u201cessential\u201d to stop sea crossings which, offering migrants the \u201cillusory mirage of a better life\u201d in Europe, enrich traffickers and \u201ccause tragedies like today\u2019s\u201d, he added.
\nPope Francis, a vocal advocate for migrants\u2019 rights, said he was praying for everyone caught up in the shipwreck during his Sunday address to crowds in St. Peter\u2019s Square.
\nItaly is one of the main landing points for migrants trying to enter Europe by sea. The so-called central Mediterranean route is known as one of the world\u2019s most dangerous.
\nAccording to the International Organization for Migration\u2019s Missing Migrants Project, 20,333 people have died or gone missing in the central Mediterranean since 2014.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The shipwreck took place near Steccato di Cutro, a seaside resort on the eastern coast of Calabria Steccato di Cutro Forty-three people died while 80 people survived when a boat carrying migrants crashed against rocks near the coast of southern Italy early on Sunday, the Italian coast guard and police said. The shipwreck took place […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":316226,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-316207","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n