Ventuno vite ingoiate dal mare. Ventuno nomi che mancheranno al futuro dell'Italia e dell'Afghanistan. Cancellati da un naufragio, accaduto nella notte tra sabato e domenica, al largo dell'isola di Corfù, sulla rotta tra la Grecia e l'Italia. È assurdo ma è così. Ormai anche per spostarsi all'interno dell'Unione europea si è costretti a rischiare la vita in mare. Dipende tutto dal colore di quei due cartoncini e dai timbri delle 32 pagine che hanno all'interno. Si chiamano passaporti. Se sono rossi, ci giri il mondo. Ogni altro colore vale poco o niente. A maggior ragione in Grecia. Un paese in crisi che non ha niente da offrire ai nuovi arrivati, ma che è costretta a tenerli in trappola per le politiche dello scarica barile dei paesi del centro Europa. E allora vi ripropongo anche il racconto del mio viaggio in Grecia del 2008. Leggetelo con attenzione, perché non è cambiato un granché da allora. Di seguito invece i dettagli del naufragio. Fra l'altro esprimiamo la nostra gratitudine all'equipaggio del cargo olandese Momentum, che ha tratto in salvo più di 200 persone.
Around 20 Afghan migrants feared drowned off Corfu
tratto da AFP
Sunday, January 16, 2011
CORFU, Greece — Agence France-Presse
A cargo ship rescued scores of Afghan migrants in heavy seas off the Greek island of Corfu on Sunday following a night of drama, but survivors said 21 more were missing after falling overboard.
Rescue services were alerted during the night after the 35-meter Hasan Reis vessel packed with more than 200 migrants, including women and children, reported it was taking on water, said the merchant marine ministry in a statement.
The worn trawler, which was bound for Italy, sunk after being cut in half following an engine breakdown, port police said.
A Dutch cargo ship, the Momentum, was first to reach the stricken vessel around 30 nautical miles off the coast of Corfu, and took 230 migrants on board.
But some survivors said 21 people were missing after falling into the sea when the Momentum began taking on migrants amid strong winds.
"I'm afraid they've drowned," said one survivor as he set foot on Corfu after his rescue.
The migrants were mostly men but included 11 children and five women. Police identified and detained two suspected Turkish smugglers. Fifteen were hospitalized for minor injuries.
"They were shocked, terrified," said local health official Kyriakos Katsouris.
A police source said authorities were looking into people trafficking from Greece's southern Peloponnesian coast. The migrants, many of whom spoke Greek, said they had paid 3,000 euros to be transported to Italy.
Located at the edge of the European Union and lacking a coherent immigration policy for years, Greece has become the main entry-point for illegal migration in Europe.
Tens of thousands of migrants cross over into Greece from neighboring Turkey each year, with traffickers inventing new itineraries and modes of transport.
After the port of Patras, Greece's main point of passage to Italy, and Igoumenitsa in the north, Corfu attracts hundreds of migrants