58 killed as boat carrying migrants, refugees sinks off Italy
At least 58 people, including a newborn baby and other children, have died after a boat carrying migrants and refugees sank off the Italian coastal city of Crotone in the southern region of Calabria.
Many of the bodies were reported to have washed up on a tourist beach near Steccato di Cutro, while others were found at sea.
The vessel had set sail from Turkey several days ago with migrants from Afghanistan, Iran and several other countries. It crashed on Sunday in stormy weather near Steccato di Cutro, a seaside resort on the eastern coast of Calabria.
According to survivors, there were about 140 to 150 people onboard the boat before it crashed into the rocks. Eighty-one people survived, with 20 of them taken to hospital, Manuela Curra, a provincial government official, told Reuters.
Antonio Ceraso, the mayor of Cutro, told reporters: “It is something one would never want to see. The sea continues to return bodies. Among the victims are women and children.”
One survivor was arrested on migrant trafficking charges.
