"It is not serious" to think that the government did not want to save the lives of the migrants who died in the waters in front of Cutro (Crotone) because "the situation is simple in its dramatic nature: we have not received any emergency indications from Frontex".
Giorgia Meloni defends the work of her executive and labels the reconstructions of the shipwreck as "surreal", which at the moment caused the confirmed death of 70 people and an estimated number of missing between 27 and 47. Especially after reading the letter from the mayor of the Calabrian town who denounced the lack of government, inviting her to go to that beach to mourn the victims, "if not as a prime minister like a mother". Meloni will go, he announces, explaining that he has considered "celebrating the next Council of Ministers in Cutro, on the subject of immigration".
“These people weren't in a position to be saved by someone who didn't want to save them – he said -. I wonder if anyone in good conscience believes that the government deliberately killed more than 60, including some children», he continues, assuring that «we were not warned that the boat was in danger of sinking. Furthermore, the route is not covered by non-governmental organizations and therefore has nothing to do with government policies. If anyone knows something different, it's good to tell us.'
"Since we've been in government we've done everything we could do to save lives, when we knew there was a problem." Thus dismissed the request for the resignation of Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, reiterated by the opposition, because "every day they ask you for a different minister, it doesn't make news" . It is early, they explain in the government, to say what measure will be launched. But the objective of the executive does not change: "Stopping the illegal flows and the shameful and cynical trafficking of smugglers".
In the meantime, Frontex does not comment: the presence of the boat has been reported, with the clarification, however, that it was sailing "without showing signs of danger" but with several people on board.
THE INVESTIGATION – Meanwhile , the Public Prosecutor's Office of Crotone will acquire, in probative evidence, the testimonies of the survivors of the shipwreck of the migrant boat which crashed at dawn last Sunday on a shoal in the waters of Steccato di Cutro . The objective is to crystallize in front of the investigating judge the evidence that could emerge from the stories of the survivors of the crossing that started from Turkey and ended tragically a few tens of meters from the Calabrian beach.
The testimonies will be included in the file of the shipwreck and manslaughter investigation opened against the alleged smugglers identified, three of whom, a Turk and two Pakistanis (one is a minor), were arrested, while a fourth is untraceable. The prosecutors want to clarify what the procedures and communications were between the Guardia di Finanza and the Coast Guard between 11.03 pm on Saturday and 4.10 am on Sunday 26 February , therefore after Frontex's report on the presence of the boat 40 miles from the Calabrian coast, and if there have been leaks in the rescue chain. In fact, six hours elapsed between the first communication from the aircraft of the European agency which supervises control of the external borders of the European Union which resulted in the exit into the sea, around midnight, of two units of the Guardia di Finanza set sail from Crotone and Taranto, in an activity classified as "law enforcement", ie a police operation and not a rescue operation, and the phases preceding the tragic epilogue.
From the boat, no request for help was sent to the competent authorities either by the migrants on board or by their families, as has often happened in similar cases. And this due to the use by the alleged smugglers of a frequency jammer which prevented them from having contact with the people on board the boat, allowing human traffickers not to be intercepted.
(Unioneonline/D)