Dozens of Kurdish migrants drown in capsized yacht near Italy

Nearly 30 people, including women and children from Iraqi Kurdistan, drowned on June 15 when a yacht carrying around 80 people capsized off the coast of Italy. Several other Kurds from Iran and Turkey also died in the perilous attempt to migrate to Europe, sources said. The new Arabic.

The Italian coast guard said the sinking occurred about 120 nautical miles off the coast of Calabria.

According to an informed source who spoke anonymously to TNAauthorities found 40 bodies and rescued 10 people, while 26 others remain missing following the tragic incident.

The victims include members of two Kurdish families from Erbil, the capital of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region (IKR), and at least four people from Sulaimaniyah province, including women and children. The victims also included Kurds from Iran and Turkey.

“Nearly 30 of those who died were members of the IKR, including several Peshmerga fighters affiliated with Iranian Kurdish opposition parties who sought refuge in Europe due to threats from Iran,” the source revealed. “Most of the survivors are Kurds from the IKR and Iran, as well as a few Afghans. The main smugglers are from Turkey and the IKR and have so far evaded capture.”

Every year, tens of thousands of people from Iraq and the IKR risk a perilous journey to Europe, fleeing high employment rates, political instability and corruption.

In 2023 alone, around 20,000 people have left Iraq and the IKR, and at least nine deaths have been reported on dangerous and illegal migration routes. In 2024, more than 10,000 Iraqis have requested asylum in Europe, according to the Summit (Lutka) Foundation for Refugees and Displaced Persons.

16 Iraqi Kurds were among 27 people who tragically lost their lives attempting to cross the perilous waters of the English Channel in November 2021. The increasing use of small boats for this crossing in recent years highlights the desperate plight of refugees fleeing war and economic difficulties. Many of these individuals pay huge sums to smugglers in their quest for refuge and better opportunities in Britain.

Barzan Majeed, known as “The Scorpion,” was apprehended in the city of Sulaymaniyah in March following an Interpol request and an extensive exchange of intelligence information.