Iraq returns bodies of 13 migrants drowned off Italian coasts

An Iraqi military aircraft headed to Italy to return the bodies of 13 Iraqis who drowned off the Italian coast from the city of Reggio Calabria in southern Italy.

The move took place following directives issued by the Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, and the Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fuad Hussein, and in coordination with the Iraqi Embassy in Rome, according to a statement released by the Iraqi Foreign Ministry.

The statement mentioned that the Iraqi Embassy in Italy kept track of the incident from the beginning, coordinated with the Italian authorities and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), and dispatched a consular mission led by Consul Qahtan Adnan to investigate the matter.

The Italian team received gratitude from the Iraqi delegation for helping to care for the survivors and recover the bodies.

On June 15, a boat carrying around 80 passengers collapsed off the coast of Italy, resulting in the deaths of over 30 people, including women and children from Iraqi Kurdistan.

Several other Kurds from Iran and Turkey also died in this dangerous endeavor to move to Europe.

According to the Italian Coast Guard, the shipwreck happened around 120 nautical miles off the coast of Reggio Calabria.

Italian authorities have recovered 40 bodies and rescued 10 individuals, while 26 others remained missing following the tragic incident.