Italian Prosecutors Eye Coastguard and Police Over Deadly Migrant Shipwreck

Italian prosecutors in Crotone have notified two coastguard members and four police officers about potential charges related to a migrant shipwreck that claimed at least 94 lives. The incident, one of Italy's deadliest, involved a boat from Turkey that crashed in Calabria. The focus is on officials' rescue operation and smugglers.

Prosecutors in the southern Italian city of Crotone have informed two members of the coastguard and four police officers that they may face further action over a migrant shipwreck that killed at least 94 people, they said on Tuesday. The prosecutors believe the six officials – two from the coastguard and four from the Guardia di Finanza police force – could be charged with multiple manslaughter and negligence that may have contributed to the shipwreck early last year.

Under Italian law, prosecutors must ask a judge whether to call a formal trial for the suspects after wrapping up their probe. The migrant accident, one of the deadliest in Italy's history, involved a wooden sailboat that set out from Turkey in February 2023 and smashed apart on rocks within sight of a beach near the town of Cutro in the southern Calabria region.

Along with the people smugglers responsible for the illegal trip, authorities have focused attention on officials suspected of making mistakes in handling the rescue operation after the ship was spotted at sea. The statement said two of the smugglers had already been convicted, and three are on trial. A sixth trafficker was killed in the shipwreck.

(With inputs from agencies.)