Calay News
A five-year-old girl’s body was found in the sea off the coast of Steccato di Cutro, in the Calabria region of Italy, on Saturday, making her the 74th official victim of the shipwreck that occurred on February 26 in southern Italy. The tragedy occurred when a boat carrying around 200 migrants, mostly Afghans, Iranians, Pakistanis, and Syrians, sank just 150 meters from the beach at Cutro. With this girl, 30 minors have now died in the shipwreck, and 80 survivors have been counted so far.
The tragedy adds to others that have occurred on the Central Mediterranean, one of the deadliest migration routes in the world, and questions the Italian government’s management of this issue. A few days before the incident, the government passed a decree that reduced the capacity of NGOs dedicated to humanitarian rescue.
In the midst of the controversy, Italy has assured that it will bear the cost of burial or transfer to other locations in the country or abroad for the victims of the shipwreck, following protests by relatives who wanted to bury their loved ones in Afghanistan, where the majority of the dead are from. Additionally, the Calabria region has arranged for about 80 relatives of the victims to be housed in hotels. The survivors, who were initially housed in the Crotone reception center, will also be able to go to hotels.
While investigations continue into the cause of the shipwreck, on Thursday, the Italian government approved a decree law that strengthens penalties for human traffickers in the Mediterranean. The decree introduces a new type of crime—”death and injury from the trafficking of illegal immigrants”—and provides for sentences of up to 30 years in prison. Following the disaster on February 26, three suspected traffickers were arrested who worked for criminal organizations that profit from these dangerous journeys to Europe.
