59 people died when a boat carrying illegal immigrants sank off the coast of Italy.
According to foreign media reports, a migrant boat crashed on rocks and broke up due to strong waves off the Calabrian coast on Sunday (February 26).
It is not yet clear where the boat came from, but local authorities are confirming that the people on board were from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Somalia.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has said in her statement that there were about 200 people on board the boat that suffered the accident, while a local police official put the number of people between 150 and 180.
Italian authorities launched a massive search and rescue operation across the region as soon as the incident was reported.
The World Organization of the Red Cross has confirmed the death of 59 people in the accident, while around 80 people have been rescued.
An official of the aid organization has said that many children are among those who drowned.
For the past several years, people from poor countries in Africa and Asia have been trying to reach Europe, especially Italy, illegally in search of a better future. Thousands of people have also died during this time.
European countries are trying their best to stop illegal immigration, but none of their tactics have been successful so far and in 2022, people migrated to European countries the most during the last 6 years.
Foreign experts say Calabria is a coastal region where illegal migration activity was low until a few years ago, but human traffickers have chosen this route after Greece’s crackdown.
