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At least 59 people, including children and several women, died after a wooden boat carrying migrants was torn apart on rocks off the coast of Calabria, according to Italian authorities.

The death toll is approximate and may continue to surge. Lousy weather in that part of the Mediterranean sea is hindering search efforts by expanding the debris field.

The first three bodies washed up on the beach near Staccato di Cutro in Southern Italy around 4:40 a.m. local time Sunday.

The vessel left The Turkish city of Izmir three or four days ago with 140 to 150 people on board, Reuters reported.

Around 80 people were saved from the water, clinging on to pieces of the boat. The survivors were from Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, Italy’s fire brigade told CNN.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni blamed human traffickers. “It is criminal to launch a boat just 20 meters long with 200 people on board in adverse weather,” she said in a statement. “It is inhumane to exchange the lives of men, women, and children for the price of a ticket under the false perspective of a safe journey.”

Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said that new measures must be taken to reduce such treacherous journeys. “It is essential to continue with every possible initiative to stop departures and discourage crossings in any way which takes advantage of the illusory mirage of a better life,” he said in a statement.

Most migrants are from Africa

In Vatican City on Sunday, in reference to the shipwreck victims, Pope Francis said: “I pray for each of them, for the missing, and for the other migrants who survived. I thank those who are helping them and those who are giving them assistance. May the Virgin Mary help these brothers and sisters.”

UNHCR records show that 11,874 people have arrived in Italy so far in 2023 by sea, with 678 of them arriving at Calabria.

Generally, arrivals are from African countries rather than the Middle East and Asia, with most boats setting off from Libya.
The most deadly migration route is the Central Mediterranean route, where at least 20,334 people passed away since 2014, according to the International Organization for Migration’s Missing Migrants Project.