Italy is fiercely arguing over a refugee boat that sank off the coast of Calabria. The Minister of the Interior justifies himself and describes to Parliament in Rome the dramatic scenes that took place on board. Three smugglers were arrested.
More than a week after the boat accident that killed dozens of migrants off the coast of southern Italy, Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi sees no further misconduct by the police and coast guard. In a speech in Parliament in Rome, the politician reported on the events of that night from February 25th to February 26th and said that an emergency call was only received at the control center around 4:00 a.m. The emergency services were then alerted. But for many adults and children on the boat, help came too late. Piantedosi said 72 bodies have now been found.
The police, coast guard and government have been facing severe criticism for days. The accusation is that not everything possible was done to save the night. Piantedosi sharply rejected this. The authorities would have complied with all rules and chains of command.
At the same time, the minister reported on the last moments before the sinking, citing statements from survivors: According to this, the smugglers saw light on land 200 meters before reaching the coast of the Calabria region and feared that police officers were waiting there. So they tried to make a sharp turn. However, the boat was reportedly driven onto shallow ground and damaged. water had entered.
Migrants reported that two smugglers then jumped into the sea. A third smuggler fled in a rubber dinghy and picked up the accomplices. At the same time, a wave caught the boat, which overturned and sank. When most of the rescuers reached the beach section of the village of Steccato di Cutro, many bodies of refugees and migrants had already been washed up. The suspected smugglers - a Turk and two Pakistanis - were arrested.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni invites the Council of Ministers to a meeting in Cutro on Thursday. There she wants to announce further measures in the fight against illegal migration and people smugglers.
