Four migrants burned alive in car in Calabria: two Pakistanis arrested
At a service station in Amendolara, Calabria, four migrant agricultural workers were killed inside a car set ablaze. Two Pakistani nationals have been arrested.
Four migrants burned alive in car in Calabria: two Pakistanis arrested
At a service station in Amendolara, Calabria, four migrant agricultural workers were killed inside an automobile set on fire. Security cameras recorded the attack, according to the newspaper The Guardian.
The footage shows those responsible pouring an unknown liquid into the boot of the vehicle with the victims inside, then setting it alight and blocking the doors. Three Afghans and one Pakistani died in the fire. A sole survivor, of Afghan nationality, managed to escape through the roof with burnt hands.
The survivor, who works in Italy as a strawberry picker and lived with the other victims, told local media that the killers would belong to a "vast Pakistani mafia". According to his account, the criminal group had repeatedly threatened the victims in the past and forced them to work without pay, offering them only food and accommodation.
The only survivor of the attack escaped with burnt hands after exiting the vehicle through the roof.
The exploitation of foreign agricultural workers represents a chronic and widespread problem in Italy, facilitated by gaps in immigration and labour regulations. The illegal recruitment of underpaid labour has become a lucrative activity for criminals. Some of these workers enter the country illegally, but the majority arrive regularly after paying thousands of euros to gangs with the promise of legitimate employment.
Italy's largest trade union organisation, CGIL, described Monday's killing as an "unspeakable horror" and urged politicians to "combat the monstrosities of daily life that workers, often migrants, experience in our countryside".
The president of Calabria, Roberto Occhiuto, also shared the video of the killing on social media, calling it a "terrible story that shakes our consciences".
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has promised to intervene on the system that exploits foreign agricultural workers. The government has strengthened inspectorates in agricultural enterprises and expanded legal entry channels for workers. Italy plans to issue half a million new work permits to citizens from outside the EU by 2028, a measure that should close the labour shortage deficit in some sectors and reduce exploitation by gangs.
Source: Novinky.cz