Four migrant workers were burned alive in their car at a petrol station in Calabria, southern Italy, in an attack that has drawn renewed attention to the widespread exploitation of foreign farm laborers in the country. The victims, three Afghans and one Pakistani, were allegedly set on fire while parked next to a petrol pump. The incident was captured by a surveillance camera and broadcast by Italian media.
Attack Details and Arrests
The attack occurred at a garage in Amendolara, near Cosenza. Two Pakistani nationals have been arrested on charges of aggravated murder, according to public prosecutor Alessandro D'Alessio. The video footage appears to show the suspects pouring liquid into the back of the vehicle, setting it ablaze, and blocking the doors to prevent escape. A fourth Afghan man managed to escape through the boot, suffering burns to his arms.
Survivor's Account
In an interview with TGR Calabria, the survivor, a strawberry picker who shared a flat with the victims, described the killers as part of a "huge Pakistani mafia." He said they were threatened with guns and knives, forced to work without pay, and received only food and board. "It's a miracle that I'm alive," he added.
The Caporalato System
The exploitation of farm workers in Italy is facilitated by flaws in immigration and labour law, operating under a criminal system known as caporalato. This is a lucrative, tightly run network of gangmasters who illegally recruit poorly paid labourers. Many migrants arrive by boat or legally by air after paying gangmasters thousands of euros for false promises of genuine jobs.
Reactions from Church and Unions
Francesco Savino, vice-president of the Italian bishops' conference, said the murders "shake faith in humanity" and called for a "revolt of conscience" against exploitation, the gangmaster system, and indifference. "Enough with the dirty silence of convenience. Enough with the grey area that sees, knows and lets things happen. Enough with the wicked habit of considering it normal for men from far away to harvest, work, live, sleep, travel, and die like bodies without a history," he said.
CGIL, Italy's biggest trade union, described the murders as an "unspeakable horror" and urged politicians to "combat the abominations of daily life experienced by workers, often migrants, in our countryside."
Political Response
Roberto Occhiuto, president of the Calabria region, shared the video on social media, calling it a "chilling story that shakes our consciences and raises profound questions about the tragedy of migration, the value of human dignity, and the responsibilities a civil society must assume toward the most vulnerable."
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has pledged to clamp down on the gangmaster system, particularly after the death of Satnam Singh, a 31-year-old Indian farm worker crushed by a machine in June 2024. His employer is on trial for voluntary murder after allegedly leaving the injured Singh outside his home with his severed arm in a fruit basket. Meloni's government has increased farm inspections and expanded legal immigration channels, issuing 500,000 new work visas for non-EU nationals by 2028. However, unions criticize bureaucratic delays in processing visas.
