Two Pakistanis Arrested for Murder of Four Migrant Workers in Italy

Police in Italy have arrested two Pakistani nationals for the alleged murder of four migrant workers found dead in a burnt-out minivan, according to Italian media reports.

The vehicle was found at a petrol station near a village in a vast farming area in the southern Calabria region.

Reports said there had been 14 cases of arson involving cars and minivans carrying Pakistanis in recent months in the area, where there are tensions between migrants over the division of farm work and accommodation.

Italian media said a fifth man from Afghanistan had survived the attack. He was quoted as saying that the dead included three Afghans and a Pakistani, all working in agriculture.

He said that a dispute had arisen after the two arrested men had demanded transportation money from those in the car, which they had refused to pay. He also alleged that the workers had not been paid for their work in the region's strawberry fields, although they had been given food and lodging.