At least 60 migrants, including 12 children and a months baby were killed and dozens more are feared missing after their boat sank in rough seas off southern Italy on Sunday night.

As per reports in the BBC, the ship which sailed from Turkey several days ago was heading towards the Coastal town of Crotone in the Calabria region and crashed into rocks due to the rough seas. Reports state that at least 200 people were aboard and many of them were said to be fleeing from difficult conditions and were from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, and Iran.

Bodies were recovered from the beach at a nearby seaside resort. Around 80 people had managed to reach the shore and around 60 people were still unaccounted for.

A migrant boat carrying 250 passengers capsizes off the coast of #Italy. The migrants are from #Iran, #Afghanistan, #Iraq and #Syria pic.twitter.com/5uRPLEwKue
— Mohamad Dargalayi (@MohamadDargalay) February 26, 2023

Every person searching for a better life deserves safety and dignity,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said. “We need safe, legal routes for migrants and refugees.” The UN refugee agency (UNCHR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), in a joint statement, expressed condolences for the victims and called on countries to increase resources and capabilities to effectively meet their responsibilities.

The IOM Missing Migrants Project reports that at least 220 people, including those who perished on Sunday, have died or gone missing along the central Mediterranean route in 2023.

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