Four migrant workers burned alive in Amendolara, Italy; two suspects arrested

On 1 June 2026 in Amendolara, Calabria, four migrant agricultural labourers – three Pakistani and one Afghan – were locked in a minivan that was set on fire. Two men blocked the doors and poured an accelerant, burning the victims alive while one survivor escaped. The victims were identified as Waseem Khan (29), Amin Fazal Khogjani (28), Ullah Ismat Qiemi (19) and Safi Iayjad (27).

Police and Carabinieri arrested two Pakistani citizens, Safeer Ahmed and Ali Raza, charging them with multiple homicide and aggravated murder. Prosecutor Alessandro D’Alessio noted that the suspects held regular residence permits. The crime brought renewed attention to the caporalato system that forces irregular migrant workers into illegal, unpaid agricultural work under threats of violence. Estimates suggest more than 11,000 undocumented farm workers are employed in Calabria, highlighting broader labor‑exploitation concerns.