Italian authorities have launched an investigation into the
deaths of 26 teenage girls whose bodies were discovered in the Mediterranean
Sea on Sunday.
The victims are between the ages of 14 and 18 and are
suspected to be natives of Nigeria and Niger who drowned while trying to cross
the Mediterranean Sea from Libya to Italy.
Rescue workers found their bodies floating near a sinking
rubber boat.
CNN reports that autopsies on the victims will be conducted
on Tuesday. The police chief in the southern Italian city of Salerno told CNN
that the coroners would investigate whether the young women had been tortured,
sexually assaulted, or killed.
Libya is a popular destination for Nigerian and other West
African migrants who use the North African country as a jumping-off point to
travel to Europe by crossing the Mediterranean Sea.
In 2017 alone, at least 2,550 migrants have died trying
to complete the treacherous journey to Europe.
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