Bodies of Kurdish drowning victims return from Italy

ERBIL – After more than a month of waiting, the bodies of several Kurdish citizens who drowned off the coast of Italy are being returned to the Kurdistan Region today. The tragic incident occurred on June 16, 2024, when two migrant boats capsized and sank near the Italian coast, leaving 76 migrants missing or unaccounted for.

Bakhtiar Ismail, a close relative of two families from Erbil involved in the incident, told 964media that they were informed a few days ago that some of the bodies would be returned this Friday. “Of our eight drowned, only two bodies are being returned today, both of whom are children from the two families,” Ismail said.

A total of 12 bodies are expected to arrive in Erbil today. Previously, a team had visited the relatives of the deceased and collected DNA samples, as the bodies could not be identified. The identification is to be confirmed through these DNA tests.