On February 26, a wooden boat carrying around 170 smuggled migrants (or more depending on the source), including several children, crashed against the rocks and broke apart off the coast of Eastern Calabria, Italy, killing at least 62 people and leaving dozens more missing.
Because survivors of the collision have reported that at least 170 passengers were on board when the boat left Turkey, Italian officials are concerned that the death toll will grow as search and rescue operations continue.
According to the Italian Coast Guard, 81 people survived the risky journey, including several who were able to swim to shore after the disaster.
After crashing against the rocks while attempting to land in Crotone on the Ionian Sea, the boat sank. As per the Italian media, the smuggled migrants set sail from Turkey five days prior.
Many survivors were taken to a shelter, while others were sent to a hospital.
More than 50 people remain unaccounted for.
When several witnesses identified him as a human trafficker, police caught a man who survived the ordeal. Two more accused smugglers were later apprehended alive and arrested.
According to a Red Cross volunteer, all of the survivors were adults, and all of the young children on the boat, including a newborn, were most likely dead or missing.
The majority of the estimated 170 passengers were from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Somalia, according to a joint statement made by the International Organization for Migration and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Police planes, helicopters, the Coast Guard, Border Patrol, and firefighting boats all participated in the rescue effort.
Crotone Mayor Vincenzo Voce described the accident as a “great tragedy,” adding that the city will work to find spaces for the deceased to be buried in the cemetery.
According to the Italian Interior Ministry, over 100,000 migrants arrived on Italy’s beaches in 2022, an almost 40,000 increase from the previous year. According to the United Nations, migrants coming via Turkey accounted for 15% of the total migrants.