Young Migrant Rescued After Days at Sea Amidst Mediterranean Crisis

The girl, who had lost her companions when their boat sank, was rescued by the Compass Collective as they were responding to a separate emergency. Her survival underscores the perils faced by migrants in their attempts to reach Europe, with thousands perishing annually.

An 11-year-old girl has been rescued after clinging to inner tubes for three days in treacherous Mediterranean conditions. Rescuers from the non-governmental organization Compass Collective reported that they were en route to a different emergency when they heard her cries for help. The girl, who hails from Sierra Leone, revealed that she had embarked on this perilous journey with 44 others from Sfax in Tunisia. Unfortunately, their vessel succumbed to the stormy seas, and she is the only known survivor.

The young migrant was found wearing a rudimentary life jacket and had two tyre inner tubes wrapped around her waist when rescuers located her in the early hours of Wednesday. Katja Tempel, a spokeswoman for Compass Collective, shared with the BBC that the girl had experienced the disaster first-hand; she described how their metal boat sank within seconds, overwhelmed by towering waves of up to 3.5 meters (11.5 feet). The girl initially remained with two others in the water but became separated due to the ocean's turbulence.

After her rescue, she was handed over to Italian authorities on the island of Lampedusa, appearing physically and mentally intact. The grim reality of the Mediterranean migrant crisis is underscored by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which has recorded 30,955 deaths or missing persons since it began documenting these tragedies a decade ago. Italy has been particularly affected, receiving over 63,000 arrivals this year, as indicated by data from the UN refugee agency, UNHCR.

While the figures of migrant crossings have seen a decline, it is noteworthy that this trend is partially attributed to the strict immigration policies implemented by the right-wing Italian government led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The complexities of the ongoing migrant situation reveal a multifaceted crisis, provoking discussions about potential policy reforms and humanitarian responses in Europe and beyond.