The rescue charity RESQSHIP reported that the sisters, aged nine, 11, and 17, went missing after their overcrowded rubber boat encountered towering waves of up to 1.5 meters (almost 5 feet) while on its way from Libya’s Zuwara city to the Italian island of Lampedusa. The vessel, carrying approximately 65 people, began taking on water shortly after departure, ultimately resulting in horror and loss as the sisters drowned beneath the chaos. Among the rescued were their mother, brother, three pregnant women, and a seven-month-old baby.
Barbara Sartore, a communications coordinator aboard the Nadir rescue ship, described in detail the chilling moment the bodies were discovered. As survivors were being evacuated amid panic and darkness, screams suddenly broke through the chaos. It became evident that the sisters, trapped beneath the water inside the sinking vessel, had not survived. Ms. Sartore indicated that the devastating sight was one of sheer horror for the survivors.
In addition to the loss of life, many individuals rescued from the boat suffered severe chemical burns caused by a mixture of seawater and petrol. Despite the tragedy, survivors were swiftly evacuated, with Italy's coast guard assisting in the transfer to Lampedusa as the rescue ship later arrived.
Katja Schnitzer, a crew member with RESQSHIP, expressed the collective grief felt regarding the tragic fate of the three sisters. She emphasized the unimaginable dangers people encounter as they embark on their perilous voyages in search of a safer life, highlighting a broader humanitarian crisis faced by migrants today.
As the UN warns of over 700 documented deaths in the central Mediterranean this year alone, calls for increased search and rescue operations, alongside ensuring safety for survivors during disembarkation, are more urgent than ever.
This latest incident sadly adds to the ongoing conversation surrounding migrant safety and the desperate conditions from which they flee, reaffirming the need for immediate and sustained humanitarian attention.
The tragedy reverberates beyond borders, reminding the world of the human stories behind headlines and statistics of the ongoing migrant crisis.
Barbara Sartore, a communications coordinator aboard the Nadir rescue ship, described in detail the chilling moment the bodies were discovered. As survivors were being evacuated amid panic and darkness, screams suddenly broke through the chaos. It became evident that the sisters, trapped beneath the water inside the sinking vessel, had not survived. Ms. Sartore indicated that the devastating sight was one of sheer horror for the survivors.
In addition to the loss of life, many individuals rescued from the boat suffered severe chemical burns caused by a mixture of seawater and petrol. Despite the tragedy, survivors were swiftly evacuated, with Italy's coast guard assisting in the transfer to Lampedusa as the rescue ship later arrived.
Katja Schnitzer, a crew member with RESQSHIP, expressed the collective grief felt regarding the tragic fate of the three sisters. She emphasized the unimaginable dangers people encounter as they embark on their perilous voyages in search of a safer life, highlighting a broader humanitarian crisis faced by migrants today.
As the UN warns of over 700 documented deaths in the central Mediterranean this year alone, calls for increased search and rescue operations, alongside ensuring safety for survivors during disembarkation, are more urgent than ever.
This latest incident sadly adds to the ongoing conversation surrounding migrant safety and the desperate conditions from which they flee, reaffirming the need for immediate and sustained humanitarian attention.
The tragedy reverberates beyond borders, reminding the world of the human stories behind headlines and statistics of the ongoing migrant crisis.
