The bodies of at least 40 immigrants -among them a baby and several minors- have been located this Sunday morning off the coast of southern Italy, in the Calabria region, after the precarious boat sank in which more than a hundred people traveled.
The authorities do not rule out that the death toll could increase since the sea is rough, "although fifty immigrants have managed to be rescued," reports the local press.
The victims were located on a beach in the town of Cutro (Crotone province) while emergency teams are still at sea trying to rescue a group of migrants.
According to the first information from Il Corriere della Sera, the boat in which they were traveling, and which began the journey in Turkey, broke in half when it collided with some rocks and they did not arrive in time to ask for help.
The bodies, including a newborn and several children, appeared on the tourist beach of Steccato and, according to the Carabinieri, are scattered over several kilometers.
While the relief work progresses, the authorities are questioning the survivors to find out the circumstances of the accident and the origin of the migrants, who according to the local press are mostly from Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The tragedy occurs three days after the Italian Parliament approved a new immigration decree on Thursday, drawn up by the government of the far-right Giorgia Meloni, which substantially modifies the relief operations of NGO ships.
Among other issues, the regulation obliges to request the assignment of a port after the first rescue of a group of migrants and to go to that location without deviating to locate other vessels in danger.
In addition, NGOs have repeatedly denounced that for months the Italian authorities have been assigning far away ports, in the north and center of Italy, which take up to four and five days to arrive, neglecting their operations in the central Mediterranean area, where Most of these types of boats are wrecked.
