Immigration: the sinking of a boat in the Mediterranean causes the death of 59 people

The remains of the boat bear witness to the violence of the sinking. As it approached the coast, the boat, thrown by the waves, broke on the rocks on the night of Saturday February 25. On the shore, the rescuers count the dozens of dead bodies, stranded on the beach or fished out of the sea. Among them, a newborn and about twenty children. “Rescue operations started early this morning, and unfortunately we continue to find victims”reports Saverio Simone Puccio, Mayor of Botricello, Calabria (Italy).

Between 150 and 180 people were on board

Barely a few meters away, the 80 survivors from Afghanistan, Turkey or Pakistan are still in shock. Twenty of them were transferred to the hospital, the others to a nearby reception center. The authorities estimate that they were between 150 and 180 on board. They would all have embarked in Izmir in Turkey. They crossed the sea for four days before the sinking, only a few tens of kilometers from the coast.