At least 33 people have died in a boat crash with migrants off the southern coast of Italy, media reported on Sunday.
The bodies were found on the beach at Cutro in the province of Crotone in Calabria and in the sea, the Italian news agency ANSA reported on Sunday morning, citing police.
The report says the death toll could rise significantly as many bodies have yet to be recovered from the sea.
According to preliminary information, the migrants were on a fishing boat, which fell apart due to heavy seas, after which some of the people on board drowned.
There was no information about the nationality of the victims or their port of departure.
About 50 survivors were also found on the beach, ANSA said. They were also on the boat that was wrecked.
“There are various casualties at the moment,” said Luca Cari, a spokesman for the firefighters involved in the rescue effort, without specifying the death toll as the rescue effort is still ongoing.
Details about the nationalities of the migrants were also not immediately provided in the reports.
Initially, it was not clear where the boat left from, but ships with migrants arriving in Calabria usually depart from Turkish or Egyptian coasts.
Many of these boats reach remote stretches of Italy’s long southern coastline without the help of the Coast Guard or humanitarian rescue boats.
Every year, many people make the perilous journey from North Africa across the Mediterranean to the European Union (EU), heading to Italy and Malta in the hope of a better life in Europe.
Boats are often overcrowded and unsafe, which means that serious accidents often happen.
According to the Italian Ministry of the Interior, 13,067 migrants entered the country this year through Thursday, more than double the 5,273 in the same period last year.
A new law by the right-wing government of Georgia Premier Meloni, which was passed by the Senate last week, has made it more difficult for civilian marine rescuers. However, most migrants arrive in Italy on their own ships and boats.
According to the latest data, in 2022 almost 1 million people applied for asylum in the EU, the highest number since 2016 and a 50% increase compared to 2021.
