A tragedy unfolded on Sunday morning after a small boat carrying migrants crashed into rocks on the southern Italian coast, killing 58 people, including children.
A few days earlier, the boat had left Turkey with migrants from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, and other countries. In stormy weather, it crashed close to Steccato di Cutro on the eastern coast of Calabria.
The provisional death toll is 59 with 81 survivors. 20 have been hospitalized with one in ICU. Authorities have arrested one survivor on migrant trafficking charges. Antonio Ceraso, Mayor of Cutro, stated that children and women were among the dead.
The boat left Izmir in western Turkey 3-4 days ago with around 140-150 migrants on board, according to survivors. Most of the survivors were from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Somalia. Identifying the nationalities of the deceased has also become challenging for the authorities.
Italian President, Sergio Mattarella, remarked that many of these migrants were fleeing extreme hardships in their home countries.
Note: The picture is for illustration purposes only.
