Perhaps they were headed to Sardinia. And they died. There's no certainty yet, and perhaps there never will be. But the picture emerging after the discovery of four bodies on the Tyrrhenian coast of Calabria within ten days is that we're dealing with yet another, yet another, "phantom" shipwreck of a boat loaded with migrants. A tragedy that may have occurred on the route that takes human traffickers from Algeria to Sardinia. This is the only route that could explain the presence of the bodies in the Tyrrhenian Sea, given that the other routes are all in the Ionian Sea.
This is currently the prevailing theory circulating among investigators, who are also trying to identify four bodies in an advanced state of decomposition washed ashore by the storm surges that have hit the Calabrian coast in recent days. This hypothesis stems from the fact that if these were people who accidentally fell into the water from one or more boats, their disappearance would have been reported.
Two people are missing in the Tyrrhenian Sea. Antonio Morlè, 53, and Enrico Piras, 63, died on February 11th when the fishing vessel "Luigino" sank off the coast of Santa Maria Navarrese, in the Ogliastra region of Sardinia.
The condition of the bodies recovered from the sea in Calabria, however—for some, an external examination even failed to determine their sex— is not compatible with the two fishermen's brief stay in the water.
The first discovery, among other things, predates the sinking of the fishing boat, having occurred on February 8 in Scalea.
Two more discoveries were made in the Tyrrhenian Sea near Cosenza, on the 12th in Amantea and the latest this morning in Paola. Also yesterday , a fourth body, apparently that of a woman, was recovered, not without difficulty, having been discovered this morning in the waters off "Le Roccette" beach in Tropea, in the province of Vibo Valentia. The body was seen floating by some students, but rough seas prevented its recovery for several hours. Only when the current brought it closer to shore did Coast Guard personnel, braving the waves, manage to bring it ashore. The Paola Public Prosecutor's Office is investigating the discovery, and as of today, the Vibo Valentia Public Prosecutor's Office is also investigating.
"At the moment," said Paola's prosecutor Domenico Fiordalisi, referring to his cases, "we have no evidence to link the discovery of the three bodies to any particular shipwreck, and if so, I cannot release any details."
