59 migrants dead in 'inhumane' tragedy as packed boat sinks off Italian coast

At least 59 migrants including a number of children have died after the boat they were travelling in sank off the coast of Italy.

They were traveling in a wooden sailing boat which crashed against rocks on Sunday morning.

The vessel fell apart as they tried to land on the shores of Crotone, a coastal own in the region of Calabria.

It had set sail from Turkey several days before and had migrants from a number of countries including Afghanistan, Somalia and Iran.

The vessel fell apart as they tried to land on the shores of Crotone, a coastal own in the region of Calabria

It is believed stormy weather resulted in the boat crash which was carrying more than 140 people at the time.

The Red Cross were seen attending to survivors at the scene.

Customs police revealed that one survivor was arrested on migrant trafficking charges.

Cutro's mayor, Antonio Ceraso, said he had seen a “spectacle that you would never want to see in your life ... a gruesome sight... that stays with you for all your life".

Images showed parts of the boat spread out across a beach, with the main body of the ship torn apart.

The coastguard said in a statement: “At the current time, 80 people have been recovered alive, including some who managed to reach the shore after the sinking”.

At least 81 people survived the incident, with 22 taken to hospital
REUTERS

Italy’s Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, in a statement said: “"It is inhumane to exchange the lives of men, women and children for the price of the 'ticket' they paid in the false perspective of a safe journey,

"The government is committed to preventing departures, and with them the unfolding of these tragedies, and will continue to do so."

The United Nations Missing Migrants Project has registered more than 17,000 deaths and disappearances in the central Mediterranean since 2014. It estimates that more than 220 have died or disappeared this year.