A Turkish man and two Pakistani nationals have been arrested after sailing a boat filled with migrants from Turkey to Italy despite stormy weather conditions. The fourth suspect is believed to be Turkish. The suspects are said to have demanded 8,000 euros from each passenger before embarking on the fatal journey.
Italian authorities arrested three people on Tuesday and were searching for a fourth suspect who they believe trafficked between 150 and 200 migrants aboard a wooden boat. The boat broke up after it hit rocks in stormy seas near the town of Steccato di Cutro in southern Italy on Sunday (February 26).
The local Italian provincial government office put the death toll at 65, including a man aged around 30 found on Tuesday, and 14 minors. There were 80 survivors, and dozens are still missing, authorities said.
"We will carry on searching ... the sea until we are certain that we have found everyone," Rocco Mortato, a member of the underwater diving team of the fire brigade, told news agency Reuters.
Read more: Migrant shipwreck tears families apart
Who are the victims?
According to the provincial government office, 25 Afghan victims had been identified. Other identified victims included a Palestinian, a Syrian and one Pakistani national.
Afghanistan's foreign ministry said on Tuesday, however, that 80 Afghan citizens, including children, had died in the shipwreck.
Pakistan's foreign office spokesperson, meanwhile, said in a statement that two Pakistani citizens were confirmed dead. One person initially believed to be missing had been found, bringing the total number of Pakistani survivors to 17.
According to sea rescuers, most of the migrants came from Afghanistan, with others from Pakistan, Iran, Somalia and Syria.
The coffins of the bodies found have been placed in an indoor sports arena in the southern city of Crotone.
Who are the suspects?
The boat carrying the migrants set sail from the Turkish port city of Izmir towards the end of last week. A Turkish man and two Pakistani nationals had sailed the boat from Turkey to Italy despite terrible weather conditions, according to Lieutenant Colonel Alberto Lippolis, commander of a finance police team in the southern Italian region of Calabria.
The three were identified by survivors as "the main culprits of the tragedy."
"According to initial investigations, they allegedly asked the migrants for about 8,000 euros ($8,485) each for the deadly journey," Lippolis told Reuters. "All three have been arrested."
Citing a judicial source, Reuters reported that one of the Pakistanis was a minor, and that police were looking for a fourth suspect, who is Turkish.
With Reuters