Three young sisters tragically drowned in the Mediterranean while on a perilous journey with other migrants, highlighting the ongoing crisis affecting countless individuals seeking refuge. The sisters, aged nine, 11, and 17, were aboard a rubber boat that capsized amidst waves reaching up to 1.5 meters (4.9 feet). This incident occurred shortly after the vessel left from Zuwara, Libya, which is a prominent launching point for migrants striving to reach the Italian island of Lampedusa.
The rescue operation, coordinated by German charity RESQSHIP, resulted in about 65 survivors, including the sisters’ mother and brother, alongside three pregnant women and a seven-month-old infant. Reports indicated that the rubber boat became dangerously overcrowded and began taking on water shortly after departure. Barbara Sartore, the charity's communications coordinator, described a harrowing scene where survivors were searched for in a chaotic environment filled with panic as the boat filled with water.
The tragedy was compounded by the horrific discovery of the sisters' bodies, which went unnoticed due to the chaos of the situation. Survivors suffered from severe chemical burns caused by a mixture of seawater and petrol inside the boat, further complicating evacuation efforts. A member of the rescue crew, Katja Schnitzer, expressed the unimaginable sorrow of the sisters' fate and called attention to the dangers that migrants face in their quest for safety, a sentiment echoed by UN agencies reporting on the rising death toll on such migratory routes.
Authorities have indicated that more than 700 individuals have perished attempting to cross the central Mediterranean this year alone, a statistic that spotlights the urgent need for enhanced search and rescue operations and safe conditions for those undertaking such treacherous journeys.
