Pope Francis has called on authorities to stop human traffickers operating in the Mediterranean, as he expressed his sorrow for last week’s migrant boat disaster in which dozens of people were killed in southern Italy.
The migrants had departed from Turkey and were from countries including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Somalia and Syria.
Around 80 people survived the wreck of the boat, which authorities estimated carried between 150-200 migrants. It broke up and sank in rough seas near Steccato di Cutro, a seaside resort on the Calabria region’s eastern coast.