Two migrants, a man and a woman of African origin, died in the night of Sunday (January 23) in the southern province of Foggia of carbon monoxide inhalation emitted by a brazier lit to keep them warm at night.
Two young African migrants, a man and a woman, died in the night of January 23 in a shack in the so-called ‘ghetto’ of Borgo Mezzanone, near the Italian city of Foggia in the Puglia region.
The pair died in their sleep of carbon monoxide inhalation emitted by a brazier lit to keep them warm, which was positioned near their bed, sources said.
Two others slightly intoxicated
Two others who were sleeping in the same shack were slightly intoxicated. The alarm was given by migrants who live in the large shantytown.
More than 1,500 people live in the so-called ghetto, mostly farmhands who work in the countryside around Foggia. When 118 emergency personnel arrived, the two migrants were already dead. Police are investigating the incident. Firefighters have secured the area.
Migrants ‘should not be invisible’, Coldiretti Puglia
Migrants who arrive in Puglia "and can contribute in a structured and crucial manner to the country’s economy, representing a key component to guarantee the predominance of Italian-made products, must be wrestled away from invisibility," said the Puglia chapter of farmers’ union Coldiretti, referring to the incident.
The union said that it has promoted in Foggia programs to improve the living condition of migrants, promoting a range of services including personal and fiscal assistance, free transportation to reach the workplace, advice on pay checks, vaccinations and assistance to benefit migrants.
"It is the signal of a model of development for agriculture, a source of great employment opportunities that must be promoted by following the road of transparency and lawfulness," said Pietro Piccioni, confederal delegate of Coldiretti Foggia.
"It is fundamental to put farms in a condition to truly benefit from the contribution that the work of non-EU foreigners can offer, tearing them away from a situation of invisibility," he continued.
Coldiretti recalled that in Puglia "more than one-fourth of Italian-made products on out tables" are picked by foreign hands, with "over 38,000 foreign workers providing 22.4% of the total work days" in the sector.
In the province of Foggia alone, "seasonal foreign workers have clocked in more than 973,000 work days, or 27.6%of the total necessary for the sector."