Monitoring Desk
BRUSSELS: European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday urged for progress on a stalled reform of Eurppean asylum rules after the deaths of more than 40 migrants off Italy.
Von der Leyen tweeted that the deaths earlier Sunday, when an overloaded boat carrying around 120 migrants sank, was a “tragedy” that left her “deeply saddened”.
“We must redouble our efforts on the (EU) Pact on Migration and Asylum and on the Action Plan on the Central Mediterranean,” she said.
Over 40 Migrants Die in Boat Wreck Off Italy
At least 40 migrants, including a few months old baby, died after their overloaded boat sank in stormy seas off Italy’s southern Calabria region early on Sunday, rescue services said.
“At the current time, nearly 80 people have been rescued, including some people who managed to reach the shore after the boat sank,” the coastguard said in a statement.
The coastguard said that 43 bodies had been found along the coastline.
Regional governor Roberto Occhiuto said that a large number of people drowned, including children. Lots are missing. Calabria is in mourning after this tragedy.
According to Italian media, the overloaded boat broke up in violent sea waves off the coastal city of Crotone at dawn.
Expressing “deep pain” over the latest deaths, far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said it was “criminal to put a boat of barely 66 feet (20 meters) to sea with 200 people onboard and a bad weather forecast”.
“The government is trying to prevent departures, and with them, this type of tragic incident,” she added in a statement. She said that it demanded the “greatest” collaboration between states from where migrants originate.
The latest such incident comes just days after the government pushed through parliament a new law on rescuing would-be migrants.
The new law forces migrant aid boats to make only a single rescue attempt at a time, which may risk increasing the number of drownings in the central Mediterranean.
The route is said to be the most dangerous crossing in the world for those seeking asylum in Europe.
Many people fleeing poverty and conflict, hoping for a better life in European countries, cross from Africa via Italy.
According to the interior ministry, around 14,000 migrants have arrived in Italy by the sea this year, up from 5,200 during the same period last year and 4,200 in the first two months of 2021.
