Tragedy of Otranto

Location of the sinking in the Strait of Otranto
Event	Sinking of Albanian motorboat Kateri i Rades
Cause	Collision with the Italian corvette Sibilla (F 558)
Place	Strait of Otranto, 35 miles (56 km) from the Italian coast
Deaths	83 people
Time	28 March 1997; 4:30 PM (UTC-3:30 PM)
On board	142 people

The Tragedy of Otranto took place on 28 March 1997 when the Albanian ship Kateri i Radës sank in a collision with the Italian corvette Sibilla (F 558) in the Strait of Otranto and at least 84 Albanians, aged 3 months to 69 years, lost their lives.^[1] The emigrants had been part of a large migration of Albanians to Italy during the 1997 Albanian civil unrest, that began after the collapse of several large-scale pyramid schemes. To prevent the unauthorized entry of migrants into Italy, the Italian Navy set up a procedure to board Albanian vessels whenever encountered, implementing a de facto blockade.

In proceeding to carry out a boarding, the Italian vessel Sibilla collided with Kateri i Radës and capsized it, resulting in the Albanian deaths. The captains of both ships were held responsible for "shipwreck and multiple manslaughter".^[2] The event raised questions over the extent of power a state may exercise to protect itself from unauthorized entry. Arguments were presented that a state must limit coercive actions disproportionate to the risk of unauthorized entry. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees criticized the Italian blockade as illegal since it had been established solely through an intergovernmental agreement with Albania.