81 survive after overloaded migrants boat crashes against rocks off southern Italy coast and sinks
\n ROME
\nSixty one people, including 28 Pakistanis, died when a wooden sailing boat carrying migrants from several countries crashed against the rocks off southern Italian coast early on Sunday, authorities said.
\nThe vessel had set sail from Izmir in western Turkey three or four days ago, Manuela Curra, the provincial government official in Italy\u2019s southern Calabria region, said, adding that it had been carrying people from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia and Iran.
\n\u201cAccording to survivors, 140 to 150 people were on board,\u201d Curra told Reuters by telephone. She added that 81 survivors \u2013 most of them from Afghanistan \u2013 had come ashore, including 22 who were now in the hospital.
\nThe survivors were mostly from Afghanistan, as well as a few from Pakistan and a couple from Somalia, Curra said. One survivor was arrested on migrant trafficking charges, the Guardia di Finanza customs police said.
\nIgnazio Mangione, the Italian Red Cross official, told SkyTG24 that very few of the children believed to have been on the boat survived. La Stampa report said that among the dead were twins of a few years and a baby of a few months.
\nCutro Mayor Antonio Ceraso told the SkyTG24 news channel that he had seen \u201ca spectacle that you would never want to see in your life … a gruesome sight … that stays with you for all your life\u201d. The Pakistanis on board the boat were stated to be from Gujarat, Khariana and Mandi Bahauddin. The Foreign Office in Islamabad said that it was keeping a close watch on the reports regarding the possible presence of Pakistanis on the wrecked ship.
\n\u201cWe are closely following the reports about possible presence of Pakistanis in the vessel that has capsized off the coast of Italy. The Embassy of Pakistan in Rome is in the process of ascertaining facts from the Italian authorities,\u201d it said in a tweet. Video footage showed timber from the wreckage had been smashed into pieces, washing up on the beach, along with parts of the hull. Survivors were seen huddled under blankets, attended to by Red Cross workers.
\nItalian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed \u201cdeep sorrow\u201d over the deaths, expressing her determination that the movement of illegal immigrants by sea would be stopped in order to prevent such tragedies in the future.
\nMeloni accused charities of encouraging migrants to make the dangerous sea journey to Italy, acting as so-called \u201cpull factors\u201d.
\nItalian President Sergio Mattarella said, \u201cMany of these migrants came from Afghanistan and Iran, fleeing conditions of great hardship.\u201d
\nPope Francis, who often defends the rights of migrants, said he prayed for the dead, the missing and those who survived.
\nEuropean Commission President Ursula van der Leyen said she was \u201cdeeply saddened\u201d by the incident, adding that the \u201closs of life of innocent migrants was a tragedy\u201d. She stressed the need for progress on reforming EU asylum rules.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
81 survive after overloaded migrants boat crashes against rocks off southern Italy coast and sinks ROME Sixty one people, including 28 Pakistanis, died when a wooden sailing boat carrying migrants from several countries crashed against the rocks off southern Italian coast early on Sunday, authorities said. The vessel had set sail from Izmir in western […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-316390","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n