Italy migrant boat shipwreck: Death toll rise to 60, dozen missing

• The ship blew up while attempting to land near the Calabrian seaside.
• At least 150 people were on board.
• A baby believed to be only a few months old was among the deceased.

Italy: At least 59 migrants, including 12 children, were killed and dozens more remain missing after their boat capsized in strong waves off the coast of southern Italy.

The ship blew up while attempting to land near the Calabrian seaside town of Crotone. According to survivors, at least 150 people were on board.

According to Italy’s president, many of them were fleeing terrible circumstances.

Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, who visited the area, stated that up to 30 individuals remain missing.

According to Italy’s news agency, a baby believed to be only a few months old was among the deceased.

Corpses were retrieved from a neighboring coastal resort’s beach.

The coastguard claimed 80 passengers had been found alive, “including some who managed to reach the land after the sinking”.

The exact number of people on the boat when it split apart is unknown; rescue officials informed the AFP news agency that the vessel was carrying “more than 200 people,” implying that more than 60 people are still missing.

Passengers from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, and Iran boarded the ship, which set sail from Turkey a few days ago.

Every year, a large number of migrants fleeing conflict or poverty make their way from Africa to Italy.

The ship is said to have sunk after colliding with rocks during rough weather, sparking a massive search and rescue operation both on land and at sea.

Timber from the shipwreck, which had been broken into bits, washed ashore on the beach, along with fragments of the hull, according to video footage.

Survivors may be seen huddled under blankets, being catered to by Red Cross personnel. Some people have been transported to the hospital.

“There had been landings, but never a tragedy like this,” said Antonio Ceraso, mayor of Cruto.

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