Yacht carrying people from Iraqi Kurdistan capsizes off Italian coast, at least 40 drowned

Nearly 30 people, including women and children from Iraqi Kurdistan, drowned on 15 June when a yacht carrying approximately 80 people capsized off the Italian coast. Several other Kurds from Iran and Turkey also perished in this perilous attempt to migrate to Europe, sources told The New Arab.

The Italian Coast Guard reported that the shipwreck occurred approximately 120 nautical miles off Calabria.

According to a knowledgeable source who spoke anonymously to TNA, authorities have recovered 40 bodies, and rescued 10 individuals, while 26 others remain missing following the tragic incident.

Among the deceased are members of two Kurdish families from Erbil, the capital of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region (IKR), and at least four individuals from Sulaimaniyah province, including women and children. The casualties also include Kurds from Iran and Turkey.

"Nearly 30 of those who perished were from IKR, including several Peshmerga fighters affiliated with Iranian Kurdish opposition parties who sought refuge in Europe due to threats from Iran," the source revealed. "Most survivors are Kurds from IKR and Iran, along with some Afghans. The primary smugglers originate from Turkey and IKR, evading capture thus far."

Every year, tens of thousands of people from Iraq and the IKR risk perilous journeys to Europe, fleeing from high employment rates, political instability, and corruption. 

In 2023 alone, approximately 20,000 people left Iraq and the IKR, with at least nine fatalities reported on dangerous and illegal migration routes. In 2024, more than 10,000 people from Iraq have asked for asylum in Europe, according to the Summit (Lutka) Foundation for Refugees and Displaced Affairs.

16 Iraqi Kurds were among 27 individuals who tragically lost their lives attempting to cross the perilous waters of the English Channel in November 2021. The increasing use of small boats for this crossing in recent years underscores the desperate plight of refugees escaping war and economic hardships. Many of these individuals pay substantial fees to smugglers in their quest for refuge and better opportunities in Britain.

Barzan Majeed, known as "The Scorpion," was apprehended in Sulaymaniyah city in March following an Interpol request and extensive exchange of intelligence information.