Italy: at least 59 migrants died in the sinking of their boat

On the night of Saturday February 25 to Sunday February 26, at least sixty migrants, including children, died in the sinking of their boat off Calabria, Italy. In rough seas, the boat crashed against the rocks. The provisional toll is 59 dead. From victims themselves find an infant. 80 people were found alive, but several dozen are still missing.

A race against the clock for rescuers

The migrants on this boat are from Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan. For lifeguards, it’s a race against the watch in difficult conditions. In a press release, Giorgia Melonihead of the Italian government, expressed her “deep pain“, but shifts the responsibility to others. At the same time, the head of the Italian government faces a controversy: it had a law promulgated obliging humanitarian ships to carry out only one rescue each time they sailed around the Mediterranean, with the aim of limiting illegal immigration.