CROTONE – At least 64 migrants were found dead early Sunday morning after their overloaded wooden fishing boat, unequipped to withstand rough seas, broke apart and sank, the Italian Coast Guard said.

 The migrants are said to have travelled through the central Mediterranean Sea from countries including Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and Syria.

 The shipwreck occurred off Steccato di Cutro, a village in the Calabrian province of Crotone. There were about 180 migrants on board, but it is not clear how many are still missing. The Prefecture of Crotone have confirmed 80 survivors so far who have been rescued by the police and Coast Guard.

 “The sea continues to return bodies. Among the victims are women and children. It is something you would never want to see” said Antonio Ceraso, mayor of Cutro to Adnkronos.

 The rescue personnel have confirmed the death of a seven-year-old boy, a three-year-old, and a newborn.

 A search-and-rescue operation commenced to find any remaining survivors and corpses. The Red Cross, Reggio Coast Guard, Messina Coast Guard, and Catania Air Base are in collaboration, using patrol boats, helicopters, rafts, and jet skis to conduct the search.

 Among the survivors, 21 have been taken to a hospital in Crotone while the others are at the site of the shipwreck, waiting to be transferred.

 Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her “deep sorrow” for the victims in a statement from her office this morning. 

 She repeated her government’s stance on migration to “prevent departures, and with them the unfolding of these tragedies” and demanded “maximum collaboration from countries of departure and of origin.”

 According to the International Organization for Migration’s Missing Migrants project, there have been over 20,000 deaths and missing person reports in the central Mediterranean Sea, where the shipwreck occurred, since 2014.

The State Police of Crotone have released this email for any requests about the people involved in the tragedy: info.emergenzacrotone@poliziadistato.it. 

jd