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الاتحاد العام للاجئين العراقيين
THE INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF IRAQI REFUGEES
Press Release Nr.1
The Tragedy of the death of 30 Iraqi Kurdish refugees has shocked Italy
Before 2 weeks ago, a boat which has capacity to carry only 5 to 6 persons was loaded with 35 Iraqi Kurdish refugees from Greece to Italy. This trip was in a very bad difficult weather of winds and coldness of winter which attacked Europe last few days.
The heavy winds and raining have changed the direction of this boat and for about 1 week the passengers were waiting the moment of their sinking and they experienced daily the death of their friends in this small Boat. Accidentally another boat from Santa Maria insel has discovered this boat and informed the authorities of Italy .Sunday, 19.1.2003 the Italian authorities have arrived there to deal with tragedy at the same time a delegation of our federation arrived there to investigate about the reasons of this tragedy .According to the reports of our delegation, this accident is regarded to be one of the most severest and dangerous events in which many refugees have lost their lives. In this accident involved 35 refugees from Iraqi Kurdistan, 30 of them have been dead and 5 of them severely injured, they have been transfreerecto Liki hospital in south of Italy and they are still under medical supervision. Also 7 cadavers have been evacuated from the sea and the rest remained with unclear fate .The tragedy of the death of these refuges could be regarded as a severest accidents in the refugees current history.
You can imagine for more than 1 week in the small boat, the death heartlessly took the live of 35 refugees in which its passengers for more than 3 days were without eating and drinking under the heavy winds and raining, suffers their arrival to a safe area. These passengers are being waiting for their sinking with sadness and madness of some of them from the fear of death. The stories which have been reported from those evacuated persons about this tragedy are very miserable.
The secretariat of IFIR expresses it’s condolence for the victims of this tragedy and to all those who take this accident seriously. You can contact us for further information on the following address /
fediraq@welho.com
Tel. / 0035 9 241 94 93
23.1.2003
International secretariat
International Federation of Iraqi Refugees
Address: PL 3 fediraq@welho.com
00391 Helsinki - Finland Fax : 00 358 9 2419493
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