Staff Writer
Michael Volpicelli
On February 26th, 2023, a tragedy struck a migrant ship in Italy, where so far 59 people have been confirmed dead with 12 of the 59 being children. The boat was a sailing ship and was constructed of wood rather than traditional metal.
The boat was heading into Europe carrying migrants from Iran and numerous other countries when it sank off the southern shore of Italy. The boat crashed into rocks due to rough sea waters.
There are uncertainties about the actual number of people who lost their lives during this shipwreck but it is reported that about 80 people are confirmed alive and well. There are also about 20 people who have been hospitalized due to this incident. Lastly, there may still be people who are missing from the shipwreck but this can not be confirmed yet without the list of people who were on board that day.
Some of the survivors from the shipwreck have come out and said there were about 150 to 200 people on the boat that day. The official number will be released when the situation is taken under control and when as many people as possible are saved.
The ship started its course from Turkey and the journey began on February 22nd. Italian police tried to send a rescue team into the waters along with boats when the shipwreck was spotted via airplane but due to the tough seas which caused the shipwreck, they were unable to get their boats near the wreck. Instead, Italian police started searching the coastline for anyone or anything that might have washed ashore from the wreck.
Sadly, while searching the coastline this is where the Italian police started to find dead bodies from the shipwreck where children and infants were unable to survive due to the rough waters.
Adults from the wreckage tried to save as many children as possible by trying to hold them above water and swimming to shore.
Amidst this recent tragedy, the United Nations has gotten involved because of human trafficking and improving rescue teams near the Mediterranean to prevent another incident like this one.
Because of the geological location of Italy, it is one of the main countries for migrants to use when trying to enter Europe but it is also one of the most dangerous because of how rough the mediterranean sea can be. The United Nations has reported over 20,000 deaths or missing people in the Mediterranean sea since 2014.
Thousands of people every month try to enter Europe illegally through the Mediterranean sea. Most of the deaths or disappearances are cause from people not having the right equipment to cross the Mediterranean, since they are not government-sanctioned voyages.
The United Nations is trying to put a plan together where they can be more alert and present in the Mediterranean sea but only time will tell how effective they can be.