Several migrants perished in an Italian shipwreck off the coast of Calabria.

As their overcrowded boat capsized in choppy waters near southern Italy, more than 30 migrants—including a baby—had died and many more have escaped.

More than 100 passengers were on board when the ship apparently broke apart as it attempted to land close to Crotone, a coastal town in Calabria.

At a nearby beach resort, many dead have been found on the sand.

Each year, a sizable number of people travel from Africa to Italy in an effort to escape violence and poverty.

The Adnkronos news agency stated that individuals on board were from Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, however it is unknown where the boat had come from.

The news agency reported that the ship sank after hitting rocks in bad weather.

The Italian government has organized a sizable search and rescue effort both on land and at sea.

Firefighters in Calabria spokesman Danilo Maida stated that the death toll “had exceeded 30.” The national firefighters’ department posted on the messaging app Telegram that “a number of deaths are recorded among the migrants, (and) there are roughly 40 survivors.”

A few individuals were able to escape the sinking boat.
Despite landings, there had never been a catastrophe like this, according to Cruto’s mayor, Antonio Ceraso, who spoke to Rai News.

Giorgia Meloni, the Italian prime minister, who was elected last year in part on a promise to stop the influx of migrants into Italy, expressed “great grief” over the event and blamed traffickers for the deaths.

In a statement, she said, “It is barbaric to exchange men, women, and children’s lives for the cost of the ‘ticket’ they purchased in the false expectation of a safe travel.

The government has made a commitment and will keep making efforts to stop departures and the subsequent unfolding of these tragedies.

The right-wing government of Ms. Meloni has sworn to prevent migrants from reaching Italian beaches and has recently passed a strict new law that tightens the guidelines for rescue operations.

Monitoring organizations report that since 2014, over 20,000 individuals have perished or gone missing at sea in the central Mediterranean.