Sixty-two people died on Sunday, Feb. 26, after a boat carrying over 140 refugees capsized off the Italian coast in rough seas.
The crowded wooden boat left Izmir, Turkey several days ago with refugees from Afghanistan, Iran, Somalia and Pakistan, before it crashed into rocks during stormy weather near the eastern coast of Calabria.
The boats were not built to take on these treacherous Mediterranean seas and have a capacity of no more than 20 people before safety is compromised.
“Some survivors say there were 120 onboard the boat; others say 200,” said Sergio Tedesco, the commander of the local police force.
Wreckage washed ashore on a beach near Cutro, Italy. (Photographed by Luigi Navarra) 
Wreckage was washed ashore on a beach near Cutro, Italy. (Photographed by Valeria Ferraro) 
Rescuers use air and sea support to continue their search on Feb. 27. (Photographed by Valeria Ferraro) 
Migrants rescued from the sea in southern Italy on Feb. 26. (Photographed by Antonio Durso) 
A body is recovered by rescuers on a beach. The number of deaths remain unconfirmed. (Photographed by Giuseppe Pipita)
The boat shattered after being blown into reefs due to rough winds and pieces of the boat were seen scattered along the coast. At least 80 people, including those who made it to the shore and two men suffering from hypothermia, were found alive.
The police arrested a survivor on migrant trafficking charges and are working on the arrest of two others on suspicion of cooperating with the trafficker.
The number of refugees to reach Italy in 2023 has doubled since last year, with 12,667 people. This leads to issues of shelter for the refugees once they do make it to other countries because most countries don’t want to harbor refugees.
Interior Ministry figures show over 100,000 migrants arrived on Italian shores in 2022, which was about 38,000 more than in 2021. Just days before the tragedy, the Italian parliament introduced a controversial law regarding rescuing refugees whereby ships have to request access to a port and sail to it “without delay,” as well as disclose detailed information about their activities.
Prior to this incident, over 22 migrants died after two separate disasters took place just hours apart off the coast of Greece. After leaving the Turkish coast with about 40 passengers, the boat sank off the coast of Lesbos amid strong winds.
Ten people, all women, were rescued in the sinking but the bodies of 17 migrants had been recovered with a dozen others presumed missing.
Just over a hundred miles west, five people were found dead, 13 were taken to the hospital and 80 were rescued after a boat of 100 people from Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan crashed into a rocky area off Kythira.
Lesbos, in the eastern Aegean Sea, was the center of Europe’s migration crisis in 2015 and 2016 when hundreds of migrants tried crossing the island in unstable boats, with hundreds losing their lives.
Greece Coast Guard claims to have rescued 1,500 people within the first eight months of the year. The sinkings of these boats lead to rising tensions between countries, including Greece and Turkey, concerning maritime disputes and migrant regulations.
Political and government regimes in other countries have gotten subsequently worse over the years leading to increased mass migration, meaning maritime migration is only getting more dangerous.
Even though organizations try their best to keep track of the number of people lost at sea, the reality, according to the Migration Policy Institute, is that “The global tally of deaths at sea is impossible to calculate, because an unknown number of boats sink, leaving no trace of their passengers. Undoubtedly many of those who died were refugees who would have qualified for protection had they managed to reach the shore.”
It is disheartening to witness the situation immigrants are faced with and traumatic for those in the position who feel the need to risk their lives to escape a country that oppresses them.
To help refugees, asylum-seekers and stateless people in need, consider donating to the UN Refugee Agency.
Remember to be informed and educated about what is happening in your community and exercise the rights you are given as an American. Vote, volunteer and be active in conversations involving your government. These rights should be inherent to all but are sought after by many.
