Something One Would Never Want to See: The Washed-Up Bodies of Those Who Sough a Better Life
Just about 150 Afghan, Iranian, and Pakistani nationals were travelling from Turkey to Italy via the Mediterranean sea when their wooden boat crashed into the rocks surrounding the Calabrian coast.
Not long after, dozens of bodies started washing up on a tourist beach near Steccato di Cutro. More bodies were retrieved from the sea. 20 children, including a newborn, were among the casualties.
While boat landings carrying refugees are not rare, there was “never such a tragedy” in Cutro’s past. The city’s major, Antonio Ceraso, stated that such an event “is something one would never want to see. The sea continues to return bodies.”
UN high commissioner for refugees Filippo Grandi urged European governments to “stop arguing” and “agree on just, effective, shared measures to avoid more tragedies.”
Simply put, justifying stricter migration policies and laying humanitarian responsibilities elsewhere to deter people from fleeing their homes has proven to be ineffective. International engagement, humanitarian aid, and coordinated rescue efforts on land and sea are vital to prevent more lost lives.
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