Iran Pursuing Fate of Nationals Feared to Be among Shipwreck Victims
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran instructed the country’s ambassador in Rome to pursue the fate of the Iranian nationals, if any, who were reportedly among the migrants on board a sailing boat that crashed against rocks off Italy.
Following the reports that scores of people have died after a wooden sailing boat carrying migrants to Europe crashed against rocks near the southern Italian coast early on Sunday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s deputy for consular affairs held a telephone conversation with Iran’s ambassador to Rome, asking him to discover the fate of the Iranian nationals that may have been on board the ship.
The Iranian envoy has contacted the Italian authorities to receive information about the incident.
Reuters has reported that at least 59 people died, including 12 children, in the shipwreck.
The vessel, which sailed from Turkey and was carrying people from several countries, sank in rough seas before dawn on Sunday near Steccato di Cutro, a seaside resort on the eastern coast of Calabria.
Manuela Curra, a provincial government official, said 81 people had survived the shipwreck. Twenty of them were hospitalized, including one person in intensive care.
Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, who travelled to the scene, said 20-30 people might still be missing, amid reports from survivors that the boat had been carrying between 150 to 200 migrants.
The vessel set sail from the western Turkish port of Izmir about four days ago and was spotted about 74 km (46 miles) off the Italian coast late on Saturday by a plane operated by European Union border agency Frontex, Italian police said.
