Iraqi Kurdistan has announced the arrests of four suspected human smugglers linked to the sinking of a sailboat near southern Italy's Calabria region in mid-June. At least 36 people lost their lives in the tragedy and 60 people were reported missing.
Authorities in Iraqi Kurdistan on Tuesday (June 26) arrested four individuals suspected of human trafficking in connection with the sinking of a sailboat off Italy's coast that resulted in at least 36 fatalities.
The vessel sank near Calabria, southern Italy, in mid-June, with over 60 people reported missing and 11 survivors rescued. According to several NGOs and statements from victims' families, the boat was primarily carrying Kurdish migrants from Iraq and Iran, as well as Afghan families. The boat is believed to have departed from Turkey.
The Asayish, the security forces of the autonomous region in northern Iraq, confirmed the arrests in a statement.
"Four individuals, identified as leaders in human trafficking, have been detained," the statement read.
The Asayish only disclosed the initials of the suspects, who are accused of facilitating the transportation of residents from the Kurdistan region to the Italian coast, which ultimately led to the disaster.
A security official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, confirmed to French news agency AFP that the arrests took place in the province of Sulaimaniyah.
As of Tuesday, Italian authorities have recovered 36 bodies from the sunken boat, and efforts are ongoing to locate those still missing.
Prosecutors say that the majority of those on board come from Iraq, Syria and Iran.
Also read: Italy: Three more bodies recovered, around 60 still missing from migrant shipwreck
Central Mediterranean remains one of world's deadliest migration routes
In a related effort to combat human trafficking, Kurdistan authorities announced in mid-May the arrest of a notorious smuggler known as "Scorpion," who is wanted in several European countries.
The International Organization for Migration reports that around 3,155 migrants died or went missing in the Mediterranean last year, with over 1,000 casualties reported so far this year.
The central Mediterranean route, which includes Italy, is one of the deadliest migration routes globally, accounting for 80 percent of these fatalities. Migrants set sail from Libya and Tunisia, with Italy often being the first destination on their perilous journey towards Europe.
With AFP
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