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La Jornada Newspaper
Thursday, December 12, 2024, p. 22
Rome. At least 44 migrants were declared missing after a shipwreck off the Italian island of Lampedusa three days ago, an NGO said yesterday, based on information provided by an 11-year-old girl, the only survivor of the tragedy.
We assume that she is the only survivor of the shipwreck and that the other 44 people drownedCompass Collective, an NGO involved in rescue operations in the Mediterranean, said in a statement after saving the girl.
According to the NGO, the minor, originally from Sierra Leone, was found floating in the water helped by a life jacket and two homemade vests made from tire tubes.
The Trotamar III team heard her screams around 2:20 a.m. yesterday while heading to attend to another emergency.
According to rescuers, the girl showed symptoms of hypothermia, although she remained conscious.
Doctor Mauro Marino, who examined her, estimated that the girl was in the water for about 12 hours before being rescued.
The girl explained that the metal boat had left Sfax, Tunisia, but sank during a storm.
According to a spokeswoman for Mediterranean Hope, another NGO, the girl is recovering in a hospital.
The Italian coast guard and police continue to search for possible survivors or traces of the shipwreck, the Italian press agency Ansa said, but they have not found any bodies or remains of clothing in the area.
At least 2,050 migrants have died or disappeared so far this year in the central Mediterranean on their dangerous path to European coasts.
