Three sisters tragically lost their lives in a migrant boat accident in the central Mediterranean, with waves measuring up to 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) inundating the overcrowded vessel, according to RESQSHIP, a German charity involved in the rescue. The girls, aged nine, eleven, and seventeen, drowned as the crowded rubber boat took on water shortly after departing from Zuwara, Libya, a notorious launch point for migrants seeking to reach the Italian island of Lampedusa.
Amidst the chaos of the rescue, Barbara Sartore, a communications coordinator with RESQSHIP onboard the Nadir, described a scene filled with panic as survivors were evacuated. "I heard screams, and someone pointed to the water inside the boat," she recounted, revealing the grim discovery of the sisters' bodies submerged underneath the surface. Sartore emphasized the harrowing circumstances: the overwhelming darkness, flooding water, and chaos made it nearly impossible for the surviving passengers to realize the girls had already drowned.
Along with the sisters' mother and brother, approximately 65 individuals were rescued, which included three pregnant women and a seven-month-old baby. Sadly, many survivors suffered severe chemical burns from a mix of seawater and gasoline that had infiltrated the boat. One individual who had fallen overboard remains missing.
In light of these recent events, Katja Schnitzer, a crewmember of the rescue boat, lamented, "What happened to the three sisters is unimaginable, as is the danger that people on the move face in search of safety." The charity did not disclose the nationalities of the sisters or the survivors, but the ongoing migrant crisis highlights the urgent need for increased search and rescue operations in the region. According to UN agencies, at least 700 lives have been lost this year alone while attempting the perilous journey across the Mediterranean from North Africa, underscoring the critical need for safer routes for migrants.
