On Sunday, February 26, a wooden boat carrying about 170 smuggled migrants, including several children, collided with the rocks and broke apart off the coast of Eastern Calabria, Italy, killing at least 62 and leaving scores more missing.
Because survivors from the crash have stated that there were at least 170 passengers on board when the boat left Turkey, Italian officials are concerned that the death toll may rise as the search and rescue operations continue.
According to the Italian Coast Guard, approximately 81 passengers survived the perilous journey, including some who were able to swim to shore following the tragedy.
Many of the survivors were transferred to a shelter, while others were sent to a hospital.
Police apprehended a man who survived the ordeal after other witnesses identified him as a human trafficker. Two more alleged smugglers were later found alive and arrested.
More than 50 people are still missing.
The boat sank after colliding with rocks while attempting to land in Crotone on the Ionian Sea. According to Italian news outlets, the migrants had set sail from Turkey five days earlier.
A Red Cross worker said that all of the survivors were adults, and all of the young children in the boat, including a baby, were either dead or missing.
In a joint statement issued by the International Organization for Migration and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, it was revealed that the majority of the passengers were from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Somalia.
The rescue operation included police planes, helicopters, Coast Guard, Border Patrol, and firefighter boats.
Crotone Mayor Vincenzo Voce called the incident a “huge tragedy,” adding that the city will try to locate places for the dead to be buried in the cemetery.
Pope Francis said he was praying for those who died, those who remained missing, survivors, and rescuers.
According to the Italian Interior Ministry, over 100,000 migrants arrived on the country’s shores in 2022, representing an almost 40,000 rise over the previous year. According to the UN, migrants who entered through Turkey accounted for 15% of the total.
