Three young sisters, ages nine, 11, and 17, drowned in a rubber boat carrying migrants in the central Mediterranean Sea, according to the German rescue charity RESQSHIP. The boat, described as “dangerously overcrowded,” had departed from Zuwara city in Libya and began taking on water a few hours into the journey. The vessel was reportedly overwhelmed by waves of up to 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) at the time of the incident.
Among the approximately 65 people rescued were the sisters’ mother and brother, as well as three pregnant women and a seven-month-old baby. As the survivors were evacuated from the boat, the charity’s communications coordinator, Barbara Sartore, recounted the moment when the bodies of the sisters were discovered beneath the surface. She noted that the chaotic situation made it difficult to see that the girls had drowned.
Many survivors also suffered severe chemical burns from a mixture of seawater and petrol inside the boat, which required medical attention. The charity reported that one person who had fallen overboard was still missing. On the same day, Italy’s coastguard evacuated 14 individuals and transported them to Lampedusa, while the rescue ship later retrieved the remaining survivors and the bodies of the sisters.
Although RESQSHIP did not provide the nationalities of the sisters or the other survivors, UN agencies have indicated that over 700 individuals have perished while attempting to cross the central Mediterranean from North Africa this year. They emphasize the need for enhanced search and rescue operations and the assurance of safety for survivors upon disembarking.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp89rqgjq1no?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss