ROME – At least 58 people died after a migrant shipwreck off the eastern coast of Italy’s Calabria region, Italian news agencies reported on Sunday.
Around 140 people were aboard the ship and at least 28 of the illegal immigrants were said be Pakistanis. A baby and several children were among the dead.
The vessel, bringing migrants from Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan, crashed against rocks during rough sea weather.
The Italian coast guard, reported to be on the scene with firefighters and other police forces, was not immediately reachable for comment.
Italy is one of the main landing points for migrants trying to enter Europe by sea. The so-called central Mediterranean route is known as one of the world’s most dangerous.
According to the International Organization for Migration’s Missing Migrants Project, 20,333 people have died or gone missing in the central Mediterranean since 2014.
