CATANZARO – Italy government and people are stunned with brutal killings of four agricultural workers whose bodies were discovered inside a burnt-out minivan, in what was said to be a deliberate attack.
Italian police detained two Pakistani nationals in connection with the incident, and initially it was reported that the deceased were four Pakistanis. Authorities now claimed that the victims included three Afghan workers and one Pakistani worker.
The tragedy unfolded in agricultural district of Calabria, near the village of Amendolara, where firefighters were called to a petrol station after reports of a vehicle fire. When the blaze was extinguished, four bodies were found inside the charred minivan.
Braccianti bruciati vivi, in 10 in una casa da 500 euro al mese di affitto. «Tornavano dai campi con le fragole per i bambini» https://t.co/P1MefWz0bE
— Corriere della Sera (@Corriere) June 3, 2026
CCTV footage from site shows two individuals approaching the vehicle, locking its doors from the outside, and allegedly pouring an inflammable liquid inside before the fire broke out. The suspects then fled the scene, according to Italian media reports.
One Afghan worker survived the incident after breaking a window and escaping the burning vehicle. Speaking to investigators, he said he had been travelling with the group and described being threatened with weapons and forced into labour without pay. The victims have been identified as 28-year-old Amin Fazal Khogjani, 19-year-old Allah Ismat Qimi, 27-year-old Safi Ayazad, and 29-year-old Waseem Khan, a Pakistani national.
Law enforcers said the footage is being treated as key evidence pointing towards a deliberate act rather than an accident.
Officials have also noted troubling pattern in the region, with at least 14 similar incidents reported in recent months involving vehicles carrying Pakistani migrant workers being set on fire. The area is known for tensions linked to agricultural labour, documentation, and poor living conditions among seasonal migrant workers.
A senior police official, Antonio Borrelli, said the case is being treated unequivocally as a homicide investigation, adding that only the finer details remain to be established.
As the investigation continues, the case has drawn renewed attention to the often precarious and hidden world of migrant farm labour in Italy, where thousands of workers from South Asia and Africa are employed in difficult conditions far from public view.
