Italian government releases autopsies of the 26 girls that died at six; two were pregnant

Recall that we reported that the bodies of the girls were found early this month floating in the Mediterranean by a Spanish military ship, Cantabria, and brought to the Italian port of Salerno after two separate rescue operations on November 5. The Cantabria worked as part of the EU’s Sophia anti-trafficking operation, from two shipwrecks – 23 from one and three from the other.

The girls were aged between 14 and 18.

According to the autopsy report carried out in Salerno, Italy, 25 of the girls died from asphyxiation in the water, while one girl suffered a wound to her liver. Two out of the dead girls were found to be pregnant.

An investigation was opened due to fears they may have been abused and killed. But Prof Antonello Crisci, a medic who worked on the postmortems, said the girls died from drowning after the dinghies they were travelling in sank.

“There were no signs that they had been raped or physically abused,” he said. “They most likely couldn’t swim.”

One of the women also suffered a “hemorrhagic shock” due to a liver wound, and two were pregnant, the doctor added.

Some of the victims have been identified by family members who survived the tragedy. Others were identified by contacting relatives whose phone numbers were discovered in the victim’s clothing.

A white rose will be placed on each coffin. Smaller roses will be placed for the two unborn children.

Two men, who were among the survivors and are believed to have skippered one of the boats, were arrested in Salerno the day after the bodies were brought to the port on charges of people trafficking, according to The Guardian UK.

Marco Rotunno, an Italy spokesman for the UN refugee agency, told the Guardian UK last week that 90% of migrant and refugee women arrive in the country with bruises or other signs of violence.