Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has condemned the killing of four farm workers in southern Italy, describing the crime as “horrific” and pledging that those responsible will be brought to justice.

In a statement posted on social media platform X on Wednesday, Meloni said the murders in the Calabria region had “shocked us all” and welcomed the arrests made in connection with the case.

She said investigators were able to identify suspects partly through evidence gathered from surveillance cameras installed in the area where the killings occurred.

The prime minister expressed her condolences to the victims’ families and stressed the need for a thorough investigation into the crime.

“Italy does not back down in the face of violence and barbarity. It is essential to shed ​full light on this terrible crime and bring all those responsible to justice,” she said.

The migrants were found on Monday in a burned-out van parked in a petrol station in Amendolara, in the southern region of Calabria. Surveillance cameras showed two people setting the car alight with their victims still alive inside. Three of the ​dead were fellow ⁠Afghans, while the fourth was Pakistani

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate has called on Italian authorities to bring to justice those responsible for the incident.