Italy holds funeral for 26 Nigerian women drowned in Mediterranean

People pay respect as they walk by the coffins ahead of the funeral service for 26 Nigerian women who died last week while crossing the Mediterranean Sea, at the Salerno cemetery, Italy, November 17, 2017. REUTERS/Ciro De Luca

SALERNO, Italy (Reuters) - Italy held a mass funeral on Friday for 26 young Nigerian women who drowned while trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea.

A Roman Catholic bishop and a Muslim imam both said prayers at the simple ceremony in the southern city of Salerno, with 26 wooden coffins laid out on a stone dais. A single white rose was placed on the lid of each.