The bodies
of 26 women believed to be Nigerian have been recovered from the Mediterranean
sea off Italy. According to reports, the women were trying to reach
Europe from
Libya.
It is
unclear why so many women died, as there were men on board the ship as well and
there are suspicions that they may have been sexually abused and murdered as
they attempted the dangerous Mediterranean crossing.
Italian
prosecutors are now investigating the exact circumstances, and are questioning
five migrants in the southern port of Salerno. Italian media reports that the
women's bodies are being kept in a refrigerated section of the warship, most of
them were aged between 14 - 18.
The
International Organization for Migration (IOM) says In the last one year,
150,982 migrants arrived in southern Europe by boat from North Africa. Of them,
111,552 (nearly 75%) came via the Central Mediterranean route to Italy. The
number who died on that route was 2,639 while the others arrived in Greece,
Cyprus or Spain.
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