At least 40 migrants dead after boat capsizes off southern Italy coast
Rome, Feb 26 (EFE).- At least 40 people have died after a boat carrying migrants capsized off the southern Italian coast, police told Efe on Sunday.
The death toll is likely to increase because many people thought to have been traveling on the boat have not yet been rescued, according to the police.
Some 50 survivors discovered on the beach were transferred early in the morning to Cutro town in the province of Crotone to receive medical treatment.
According to the survivors, the fishing boat in which they were traveling broke in half and sank along with many of the people onboard.
The bodies, including a newborn and several children, were discovered after they washed ashore at Steccato di Cutro beach resort, the police confirmed.
As relief efforts are underway, the authorities are questioning survivors to find out the circumstances behind the accident and where the migrants are from.
According to local media, most of the boat passengers are from Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The accident comes three days after prime minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing government approved a new law that hampers the work of migrant rescue ships.EFE
romu/smq/ch
