Italy has held a mass funeral for 26 young Nigerian women, some aged just 14, who drowned while trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea from Libya.
A Catholic bishop and a Muslim imam both said prayers at the simple ceremony in the southern city of Salerno today, with wooden coffins each decorated with a single white rose.
The only two identified victims were named as Marian Shaka, who was married, and Osato Osaro. Both were pregnant.
A Catholic bishop and a Muslim imam both said prayers at the simple ceremony in the southern city of Salerno today, with wooden coffins containing the 26 women each decorated with a single white rose
The only two identified victims were named as Marian Shaka, who was married, and Osato Osaro. Both were pregnant. Pictured: A mourner who attended the service
Some of the women are thought to have been victims of sex trafficking. Two suspected traffickers have been taken into custody. Pictured: A mourner cries next to a coffin
Salerno Archbishop Luigi Moretti(pictured) told the crowd that the women, none of whom were aged over 18, ‘lost their lives as they were seeking freedom and a better life’
Salerno Archbishop Luigi Moretti told the crowd that the women, none of whom were aged over 18, ‘lost their lives as they were seeking freedom and a better life.’
Some of the women are thought to have been victims of sex trafficking. Two suspected traffickers have been taken into custody.
Italian officials are working to contact their relatives using phone numbers they had hidden in their clothes.
The bodies were retrieved from the sea on November 3 by a Spanish rescue ship, while some 64 people were unaccounted for and feared lost, bringing the total dead to around 90.
Survivors found on nearby rubber boats said the women were all Nigerian and had left Libya hoping to make it to Italy.
The loss of the girls has been described by the Nigerian foreign ministry as ‘a monumental loss and a sad moment for our country’.
Italian officials are working to contact the women’s relatives using phone numbers they had hidden in their clothes. The ceremony today was attended by dozens of locals, including this woman(pictured)
The bodies were retrieved from the sea on November 3 by a Spanish rescue ship, while some 64 people were unaccounted for and feared lost, bringing the total dead to around 90
Survivors found on nearby rubber boats said the women were all Nigerian and had left Libya hoping to make it to Italy. Pictured: A mourner at the service today
The loss of the girls has been described by the Nigerian foreign ministry as ‘a monumental loss and a sad moment for our country’. Pictured: Their bodies being brought onshore on November 3
According to the post-mortems carried out in Salerno in southern Italy, 25 of the girls died of asphyxiation in the water, most of them when the inflatable dinghy they were travelling on sank. Pictured: Hearses lined up containing the women’s bodies
According to the post-mortems carried out in Salerno in southern Italy, 25 of the girls died of asphyxiation in the water, most of them when the inflatable dinghy they were travelling on sank.
One girl suffered a wound to her liver.
The autopsies found no recent trace of physical or sexual violence.
‘It is very likely that these girls were victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation,’ said Federico Soda, director UN migration agency IOM for the Mediterranean.
A recent IOM report had estimated that 80 percent of Nigerian girls arriving in Italy by sea might be trafficking victims.
‘It is very likely that these girls were victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation,’ said Federico Soda, director UN migration agency IOM for the Mediterranean. Pictured: Mourners at the service today
Almost 115,000 migrants, mainly African men, have reached Italy so far this year, according to government data released on Friday, against just over 167,000 in the same period last year. Pictured: A mourner at the service today
Coffins are seen ahead of the funeral service for the women, who died last week while crossing the Mediterranean Sea, at the Salerno cemetery
A mourner places a white Rose on one of the coffins before the funeral service at the southern town of Salerno today
Almost 115,000 migrants, mainly African men, have reached Italy so far this year, according to government data released on Friday, against just over 167,000 in the same period last year.
IOM said at least 2,925 people died trying to cross the Mediterranean from Jan 1.-Nov. 5 against 4,302 last year.
The Italian government has worked with Libyan authorities to block migrants from leaving the north African state, leading to a sharp fall in new arrivals since the summer.
The government says its policy has cut the number of sea deaths, while critics say it has left thousands of refugees and migrants trapped in appalling conditions in Libya.
The foreign ministry in Abuja said its mission in Rome said the victims were aged 14 to 18. It described their deaths as ‘a monumental loss and a sad moment for our country’