A one-off or a new trend? Smugglers use luxury boats to bring migrants to Europe
Smugglers attempting to bring in refugees across the Mediterannean are now using luxury sailboats to sneak past authorities on the lesser-known Calabrian route.
But while the idea of arriving by such a vessel might sound luxurious — compared with the often-unseaworthy Europe-bound boats launched by smugglers from Libya and Tunisia — the reality is very much different.
Both witnesses and the authorities claim that a number of expensive vessels are being used to bring in up to a hundred people per boat stowed away below deck, with limited access to food and water for at least a week.
“It was the worst experience of my life,” Hamid told AP after the sailboat that brought him to Italy together with his wife, Zakia, came ashore on November 10.
Zakia
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