Tragedy in the Mediterranean: Italian Beaches Inundated with Bodies of Storm Victims

The sea has washed ashore the bodies of at least 15 people on the coasts of southern Italy, who likely died while attempting to illegally cross the Mediterranean Sea. The victims were found successively over the past ten days on the beaches of Calabria and Sicily. Most bodies were located in the province of Trapani and near the towns of Paola, Scalea, and Tropea. Maritime services and carabinieri are working to identify the bodies, many of which are in an advanced state of decomposition. Experts suspect these are victims of so-called phantom shipwrecks, meaning disasters that rescue services were unaware of. The situation was drastically worsened by weather conditions related to the passage of cyclone Harry. Strong mareggiata, or violent waves hitting the shore, caused the sea to 'return' victims who may have died even several weeks ago. The prosecutor's office in Paola has launched an official investigation, ordering autopsies to rule out third-party involvement and confirm the cause of death as drowning. Authorities are also investigating the hypothesis that some of the deceased may have been traveling from Algeria towards Sardinia or directly from Tunisia. The migration crisis in the Mediterranean has been ongoing since 2013, when the disaster off the coast of Lampedusa became the impetus for launching large-scale rescue operations in Europe. The tragedy has sparked another wave of criticism against the maritime blockade promoted by the right-wing cabinet of Giorgia Meloni. Federations of non-governmental organizations describe the current situation as inhumane, arguing that hindering rescue operations on the high seas directly translates into the number of fatalities. „The maritime blockade in its current form is appalling and inhumane; it leads to further tragedies that could be avoided.” — Representative of a non-governmental organization The Italian Ministry of the Interior reports a steady influx of people despite unfavorable winter weather. Maritime services warn that with current weather fluctuations, the risk of further disasters remains very high. The phenomenon of bodies being washed ashore by storms exposes the scale of dramas that occur far from the mainland, invisible on a daily basis. over 15 — migrant bodies found in February on beaches true: Most of the recovered bodies show signs of having been in salt water for many days, confirming that the tragedy occurred during violent storms hitting the southern part of the Apennine Peninsula. (Italian Coast Guard (Guardia Costiera))