Italy holds funerals for 26 Nigerian women who drowned at sea - Declare Friday day of mourning

Italy's southern city of Salerno on Friday morning held a mass funeral for 26 young Nigerian women who drowned earlier this month trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe.

Twenty-six coffins were laid out on a stone dais in Salerno's Monumental Cemetery, watched by a military guard, local politicians, rescue workers and journalists.

According to Reuters, a Roman Catholic bishop and a Muslim imam both said prayers at the simple ceremony and a single white rose was placed on the lid of each. 

Each coffin bore a white rose on top, though only two were marked with names: Marian Shaka and Osato Osaro, just two of the women who were identified. 

It is very likely that these girls were victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation,” said Federico Soda, director UN migration agency IOM for the Mediterranean.

The bodies will be buried in different cemeteries around Salerno.

The city's mayor also declared Friday a day of mourning. Local schools have been asked to hold a minute of silence, while light displays in the city centre will be switched off on Friday evening in remembrance.

I funerali delle 26 nigeriane al Cimitero Monumentale. https://t.co/IWAY5nqPxz pic.twitter.com/7aFgjMMJIa

— Gazzetta di Salerno (@GazzettaSalerno) November 17, 2017

The girls' bodies were recovered at sea and brought to Italy on November 3rd.

Post-mortem examinations revealed that 25 of the victims had drowned, while one had a wound to her side.

@RaiNews #migration Nella piazza degli Uomini Illustri del cimitero, Salerno celebra i funerali di 26 donne nigeriane annegate nel Mediterraneo. Solo due hanno nome sulla bara. Salerno capitale italiana della civiltà pic.twitter.com/mPDFx4jLNX

— angela caponnetto (@AngiKappa) November 17, 2017

All of the girls are believed to have been Nigerian nationals between 14 and 30 years old while only five have been identified so far.

Two of them were pregnant, including Osaro with twins. Her coffin bore a pink and a blue rose in their memory.

At least 100 other people believed to have been travelling with the women are still missing, all feared drowned.

Nigeria has called for an international investigation into the incident.

So sad.