Italy did not classify Frontex’s communication as ‘emergency’ before shipwreck

Rome: Italy did not assess as an “emergency” Frontex’s communication about a boat which later sank, killing more than 60 people, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told the media.

The EU border and coast guard agency communicated that the boat might be crowded according to thermal signs Italy could see, with 4 sea state, a source from Frontex told EURACTIV.

“No emergency communication from Frontex reached our authorities. We were not warned that this boat was in danger of sinking” said Meloni, the first declaration the Prime Minister made since the tragedy.

The interception occurred in the late night of 25 February hours before the boat sank in the early hours of 26 February close to the Calabrian coast in southern Italy, near the city of Crotone.

The passengers of the boat, which departed from Turkey, were predominantly families from Afghanistan and Syria. The precise number of people onboard is still unclear. The 20 metre-long boat contained approximately 200 people. Roughly 80 survived while more that 68 died.

According to information the EU agency gave EURACTIV, Frontex shared some evidence regarding the boat’s interception which indicate a potential distress at sea.

For instance, some elements showed the vessel could carry a high number of people with a rough sea of waves up to 2.50 metres – state 4 out of 7.

“Our experts spotted some signs that the boat might be carrying a large number of people, for example, the thermal camera on board the plane detected a significant thermal response from the open hatches at the bow,” Frontex explained, and confirmed to EURACTIV that Italian authorities had access to the thermal signs.