Italian authorities are investigating the deaths of 26 teenage girls whose bodies were found in the Mediterranean Sea, NPR reports. Prosecutors believe they may have been sexually abused and murdered as they attempted to travel from Niger and Nigeria to Italy, according to the BBC.
The BBC also reported that five migrants are currently being questioned by Italian officials about the deaths. The victims ranged in age from 14 to 18. Autopsies will be conducted tomorrow, Salerno's head of police told CNN.
Prosecutors are investigating the possibility that the teenagers were victims of sex trafficking. According to a recent article published by Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera, it's become increasingly common for Nigerian girls and women to be brought to Italy by sex traffickers.













