An 11-year-old girl from Sierra Leone was rescued overnight at sea for three days as the sole survivor of a shipwreck off the Italian island of Lampedusa, a rescue charity announced on Wednesday.
Germany's Compass Collective said the ship's crew were en route to another emergency when they heard screams from the water and came to pick up the girl around 3 a.m. wearing life jackets and clinging to tire tubes.
She said she set out from the Tunisian city of Sfax in a metal boat carrying 45 people, but it sank in a storm.
Members of the charity cared for the girl and took her to Lampedusa, an island closer to North Africa than other parts of Italy and often the first landing point for migrants.
After receiving medical assistance, the girl was transferred to a migrant detention center where she was cared for by Italian Red Cross staff and volunteers, the Red Cross said.
“During this festive period, when most of us are lucky to be with our loved ones, we think of this girl from Sierra Leone,” said Nicola Dell'Arciprite, director of UNICEF, Italy's United Nations children's agency, in a statement. said.
“Another tragedy has occurred in the Central Mediterranean that will further increase the number of dead and missing.”
The sea migration route between Tunisia, Libya, Italy and Malta is one of the most dangerous in the world, with more than 24,300 people missing or dead since 2014, according to the International Organization for Migration.
The NGO Mediterranea said in a statement that it is concerned that three more migrant boats have gone missing on the Tunisia-Italy route in recent weeks and is working to rescue potential survivors. asked the authorities to launch a search operation.
“We cannot afford to leave lives at risk at sea,” said Luca Casalini from the Mediterranean Region.
Italy claims its tough stance on immigration is leading to fewer people arriving by sea. Approximately 64,000 immigrants have landed in Japan since the beginning of the year, compared to more than 153,000 in the same period in 2023.
