2 Malian nationals die in Italy's migrant camp fire

Two men died in southern Italy after a massive blaze engulfed a makeshift migrant camp, local media reported on Friday.

The incident occurred near Foggia in the Apulia region in a shanty town area known as the "big ghetto", where hundreds of migrants working in the local agriculture sector had gradually set up makeshift homes over the years.

The blaze engulfed the camp on Thursday night, according to Ansa news agency, and Italy's fire department confirmed two bodies had been recovered from the wreckage on Friday morning.

The victims were later identified as Malians Mamadou Konate, 33, and Nouhou Doumbia, 36, Ansa said.

Local authorities had recently ordered the eviction of the camp, which covers an area of about 5,000 square meters. The clearance had begun on Wednesday by Italian military police, police, and firefighters. However, some 350 people living in the camp refused to leave and staged a protest before the prefecture in Foggia on Thursday, according to reports.

The blaze broke out quite suddenly in the camp on Thursday night, and spread quickly due to strong winds and the fact that most shacks were made of wood, cardboard, and other easily flammable materials.

About one hundred huts were destroyed in the fire, and several gas tanks used for heat and cooking worsened the blaze.

Authorities said the cause of the fire was not yet clear. "It is not possible yet to determine whether it was an arson or not," Ansa reported, quoting a firefighter at the scene.

Prosecutors of the Anti-Mafia District Directorate in Bari, the regional capital of the Apulia region, had ordered the eviction of the camp because they suspected mafia groups had infiltrated it with criminal activities. An investigation had been launched in March 2016. Endit