Four migrant farm workers killed in arson attack at Italian gas station

A brutal arson attack at a gas station near the 3,000‑resident town of Amendolara in southern Italy left four migrant agricultural workers dead. The victims – Ismat, Fazal, Waseem and Safi, all from Afghanistan or Pakistan – were seated in a minivan when two men pumped gasoline into the vehicle’s interior, set it ablaze and blocked the doors. The occupants were burned alive; only Taj Alamyar, a 35‑year‑old Afghan worker, escaped by breaking a rear window.

Police identified two Pakistani suspects from surveillance footage; they are now in custody. The incident has sparked nationwide outrage and renewed scrutiny of the harsh conditions faced by migrant laborers in Italy’s fruit and vegetable sector, where wages can be as low as three euros per hour. Investigators have noted possible links between the recruitment network and the 'Ndrangheta crime family, which is active in Calabria.