At least 59 migrants, including 12 children, have died and dozens more are feared missing after their boat sank in rough seas off southern Italy.
The vessel broke apart while trying to land near Crotone on Sunday. Migrants from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia and Iran were on board.
A baby was among the dead, Italian officials said.
Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, who visited the scene, said as many as 30 people may still be missing.
Bodies were recovered from the beach at a nearby seaside resort in the Calabria region.
The coastguard said 80 people had been found alive, “including some who managed to reach the shore after the sinking”.
The exact number of people who were on the boat, which had sailed from Turkey several days ago, is not clear.
Rescue workers told the AFP news agency that the vessel had been carrying “more than 200 people”, which would mean more than 60 people unaccounted for.
Many of the migrants were fleeing very difficult conditions, Italy’s president said.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif referenced reports that more than two dozen Pakistanis were among the dead, and called the news “deeply concerning and worrisome”. He instructed Pakistan’s diplomats to “ascertain facts as early as possible”.
The vessel is reported to have sunk after it crashed against rocks during rough weather, sparking a large search-and-rescue operation on land and at sea.
Video footage shows timber from the wreckage that had been smashed into pieces washing up on the beach, along with parts of the hull.
Survivors are seen huddled under blankets, attended to by Red Cross workers. Some have been taken to hospital.
“There had been landings but never a tragedy like this,” the mayor of Cruto, Antonio Ceraso, told Rai News.
Source: BBC
