Dozens of migrants died in a shipwreck near the Italian coast

Rescuers recover a body on a beach near Cutro, southern Italy, after a migrant boat broke in rough seas, Sunday, February 26, 2023. AP - Giuseppe Pipita

Text by: RFI Follow

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Forty migrants, including a newborn baby a few months old, died after the sinking, at dawn on Sunday, of their boat not far from the Italian city of Crotone, in Calabria (South), Italian media reported on Sunday. .

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Italian firefighters confirmed on Twitter that they had recovered 28 bodies, while three others were carried further by sea currents from the boat.

It contained 150 to 250 people, according to Italian media.

In addition, around 40 people were rescued, according to firefighters.

Questioned by AFP, the Italian coast guard did not respond immediately.

According to the AGI news agency, the migrants' boat, which was overloaded, broke in two due to heavy seas.

🔴 #Crotone, naufragio barcone migranti a Steccato di Cutro: i #vigilidelfuoco operano con sommozzatori e soccorritori acquatici, recuperati al momento 28 corpi senza vita, 3 trascinati a Botricello e Castro (CZ) dalla corrente [#26febbraio 10:00] pic. twitter.com/5C2jK7l7mL

— Vigili del Fuoco (@vigilidelfuoco) February 26, 2023

► To read also: NGOs denounce the remoteness of the ports designated to disembark in Italy

14,000 migrants in Italy since the beginning of 2023

The new shipwreck comes just days after parliament passed

by the far-right-dominated government on rescuing migrants.

Head of government

, leader of the far-right Fratelli d'Italia (FDI) party, took over as head of a coalition executive in October after promising to reduce the number of migrants arriving in Italy.

The new law forces humanitarian ships to carry out only one rescue at a time, which critics say increases the risk of death in the central Mediterranean whose crossing is considered the most perilous in the world for migrants. 

Italy's location makes it a top destination for asylum seekers crossing from North Africa to Europe and Rome has long complained about the number of arrivals to its territory.

According to the Interior Ministry, nearly 14,000 migrants have landed in Italy since the start of the year, compared to around 5,200 during the same period last year and 4,200 in 2021.

However, NGOs only transport a small percentage of migrants wishing to arrive in Europe, most being rescued by coast guard or navy vessels.

However, the government accuses the NGOs of stimulating the arrival of migrants through their action and encouraging traffickers.

Migranti: barcone si spezza in mare davanti a Crotone, 34 morti trovati sulla spiaggia, fra cui un neonato https://t.co/lqj5DxSFq8

— La Stampa (@LaStampa) February 26, 2023

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