Fire erupted on a migrants’ sailboat off the coast of southern Italy on Sunday, and Italian news reports said at least four perished and others …
Fire erupted on a migrants’ sailboat off the coast of southern Italy on Sunday, and Italian news reports said at least four perished and others were missing in the sea, the latest drama in the nation’s struggle to deal with hundreds of migrants reaching its shores this summer. State TV’s RaiNews24 said four migrants were confirmed dead, although it wasn’t immediately clear if they were killed by the fire, which was apparently ignited by fuel aboard, or if they drowned in the sea. The fire, which also triggered an explosion, sent up a column of dark smoke that could be seen by bathers at a beach near Crotone, a port town in Calabria in the “toe” of the Italian peninsula. Several migrants were injured, as were two customs police crew members, one of whom suffered burns and the other a broken leg, state TV said. The Italian coast guard was involved in transferring the migrants from the sailboat when the blaze began, news reports said. LaPresse news agency said about 20 migrants had been aboard the sailboat. While many migrants try to reach Italy in unseaworthy boats launched from Libyan shores where human traffickers are based,this year has seen most of the migrants reaching Italy coming from Tunisia or other points, often without needing rescue.
