A tragic incident in the central Mediterranean has claimed the lives of three sisters, aged nine, 11, and 17, when their overcrowded rubber migrant boat began taking on water, according to German rescue charity RESQSHIP.
The vessel, which had departed from Zuwara, Libya, was carrying around 68 people when waves of up to 1.5 meters repeatedly washed over it, causing panic and severe overcrowding. Among the survivors were the girls’ mother and brother, three pregnant women, and a seven-month-old baby. One person remains missing.
Barbara Sartore, communications coordinator aboard the rescue ship Nadir, described the horrific scene: “The boat was dangerously overcrowded, it was pitch-dark, water was flooding in, and people were panicking. In that chaos, it was impossible to see that the three sisters, sitting deep inside the boat, had already drowned. When the survivors realised, it was sheer horror.”
Many of the rescued migrants suffered chemical burns caused by the mixture of seawater and fuel in the boat. Italy’s coastguard evacuated 14 people to Lampedusa, while the remaining survivors and the bodies of the girls were brought to the island by the rescue ship.
RESQSHIP stressed the urgent need for stronger search and rescue operations, highlighting that more than 700 people have died trying to cross the central Mediterranean from North Africa this year. Katja Schnitzer, a crew member on Nadir, said: “What happened to the three sisters is unimaginable, as is the danger that people on the move face in search of safety.”
Libya remains a major departure point for migrants risking the treacherous journey to Europe. Humanitarian agencies continue to call for increased international efforts to ensure the safety of migrants, both at sea and upon disembarkation.
The nationalities of the sisters and other survivors were not disclosed. This tragedy underlines the urgent need for coordinated European action to prevent further loss of life in the Mediterranean migrant crisis.