More than 1,000 migrants were washed ashore in southern Italy on Saturday as coastguards launched a major rescue operation for three boats struggling in rough seas off Calabria.
A coast guard ship brought 584 people to the town of Reggio Calabria, while another fishing boat took 487 migrants to the port of Cretone, close to the site of the February 26 shipwreck. At least 74 people were killed.
Another 200 migrants have been picked up off the coast of Sicily and will be taken to Catania later in the day, local officials said.
More than 4,000 people have arrived in Italy since Wednesday, compared with around 1,300 in March last year, as the country’s conservative government struggles to stem the flow despite repeated promises to stem the flow.
The coast guard dispatched eight boats to various rescue operations on Friday, while a patrol boat was also called in to prevent a repeat of last month’s disaster when a migrant boat ran aground off the coast of Calabria. It was broken.
The body of a young girl was recovered on Saturday, bringing the death toll to 74. 79 people survived the shipwreck, but about 30 are still missing, presumed dead.
Prosecutors are investigating whether Italian authorities should have done more to prevent the disaster. Prime Minister Georgia Maloney has rejected the proposal and has tried to place the blame squarely on human traffickers.
His cabinet on Thursday introduced tougher prison terms for people smugglers and promised to open more avenues for legal migration. Late last year, it cracked down on charity aid boats, accusing them of operating as a taxi service for migrants.
The move has sharply reduced the number of aid ships patrolling near North Africa, where most migrants travel.
However, despite this, departures have increased dramatically, with around 17,000 migrants arriving in Italy by boat so far this year, compared to around 6,000 in the same period in 2022.
