On February 19th, 2023, near the Calabrian coast off of Italy, a ship that was carrying 170 people crashed and reached a death toll of 64 people due to horrible storms. They have found 80 survivors and 26 are still missing to this date. Pope Francis said ” I pray for each of them, for the missing, and for the other migrants who survived. I thank those who are helping them and those who are giving them assistance. May the Virgin Mary help these brothers and sisters.” According to CNN, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni blames human traffickers. Records in Italy show at least 11,874 migrants arrived in Italy in 2023, nearly 50% escaping from Afghanistan. Typically in the past, most arrivals have been from Africa, rather than the Middle East and Asia, with the majority of boats setting off from Libya. According to NBC news “ On Monday, two coast guard vessels searched the seas north to south off Steccato di Cutro while a helicopter flew overhead and a four-wheel vehicle patrolled the beach. A strong wind whipped the seas that still churned up splinters of the boat, gas tanks, food containers and shoes.” 

Source:

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/migrant-boat-shipwreck-italy-coast-death-toll-rcna72415

https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/26/europe/migrant-shipwreck-deaths-italy-calabria-intl/index.html