At least 59 migrants have died, including an infant, after a boat accident in Italy. Ursula von der Leyen calls for asylum reform.
Update from February 26, 5:25 p.m.: The death toll after the boat accident in Italy has risen to 59. However, it should continue to grow, according to rescue workers, there were more than 200 people on the boat. According to the Coast Guard, 80 of them were able to swim to the coast and survive.
Italy’s right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expresses her “deep pain” at the deaths. It is “criminal to let a boat that is barely 20 meters long with 200 people on board and a bad weather forecast put to sea”. Your government is committed to preventing departures and thus “this type of tragedy”.
Boat accident in Italy: Von der Leyen calls for asylum reform in the EU – smuggler apparently arrested
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also expressed her condolences via Twitter for the boat accident on the Italian coast. The “loss of life of innocent migrants” is a “tragedy”. Efforts to reform the migration and asylum pact and the action plan for the Central Mediterranean must now be redoubled within the EU.
According to the Italian news agency Ansa, among the victims of the boat accident are a few months old baby and a few years old twins. According to the newspaper La Republica the migrants came mainly from Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Ansa also reports the arrest of a smuggler who is said to be a Turk. It was initially not known where the people had set sail.
Italy: Around 40 refugees die in a boat accident – including newborns among the victims
First report from February 26th: Steccato di Cutro – Around 40 refugees died in a boat accident off the Italian coast on Sunday (February 26). The boat sank off the coast near the town of Crotone in southern Italy early in the morning, Italian media reported. The search for the missing persons continued and was made more difficult by strong waves.
According to the AGI news agency, the overloaded boat broke in two due to the high seas. According to a rescuer, a newborn was among the victims, as reported by AGI.
Numerous dead in a boat accident with migrants off Italy
Because of its geographical location, Italy is a particularly frequent destination for migrants who want to get to Europe from North Africa. About 105,000 migrants arrived in Italy last year, and thousands of arrivals have already been counted this year. Many people have drowned during the dangerous crossing of the Mediterranean Sea in recent years.
A new law by Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing government, which was passed by the Senate last week, is making the work of civilian sea rescuers more difficult. However, the majority of migrants arrive in Italy on their own ships and boats.(AFP/dpa/frs)
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