ROME, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- A Nigerian woman died and two more women were hospitalized with burns after a fire broke out in a migrant shanty town in the southern Calabria region overnight, local media reported Saturday.
Another 20 people were injured in the devastating blaze that destroyed some 200 tents and huts where about 1,000 day laborers employed in the surrounding fields lived in "inhumane" conditions, according to RAI News24 public broadcaster.
Televised footage showed a vast area with completely burned out structures and smoking ash.
The fire was accidental and may have been sparked by a fire the inhabitants of the shanty town had lit to keep warm, media reported local authorities as saying.
The dead woman was named as Amine, aged 30. Her body was so badly burned that it was initially impossible to determine its gender, ANSA news agency reported.
The shanty town was located near the town of San Ferdinando with a population of 4,500, located near Gioia Tauro port. Its economy is based on growing citrus fruits and kiwis, according to the town website.
Authorities are building a temporary structure to house the migrants, local media reported.
Migrants and asylum seekers are often exploited in Italy's fields, where they work in near-slavery conditions, with no legal protections or health care.
The Italian government in October 2016 passed a law criminalizing the practice, known as gangmastering. This offence is now punishable with up to six years in prison, according to the Official Gazette.
