‘The route of immigrants leaving Turkey turned to Italy’
Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi stated that due to Greece’s strict border policies, irregular migrants prefer to go to Italy rather than Greece.
At least 67 people, including 16 children, lost their lives when a boat carrying irregular migrants crashed into a rock off Italy’s southern coast and sank on Sunday, days after leaving the coast of Izmir. While survivors claimed there were around 200 passengers on the boat, dozens of survivors have yet to be contacted. Rescuers said most of the passengers on the boat were from Afghanistan, with the rest from Pakistan, Iran, Somalia and Syria.
In Italy it is debated whether the Italian coast guard and police can do more to prevent the sinking of the migrant boat.
Italian Interior Minister Piantedosi was asked in an interview on state television channel RAI why migrants from Turkey went to Italy instead of nearby Greece. Piantedosi said: “Greece has strict restriction policies on those arriving via this route. This includes the take-back practice that is being examined by the European Union (EU).
Stating that this issue will be asked of the survivors of the crash, Piantedosi said: “This situation may have directly influenced their decision to come to Italy.”
The risk of fatal accidents increases as irregular migrants travel longer distances by sea to Italy with flimsy boats. (Reuters)