In brief
Rescuers from Compass Collective saved a young girl from Sierra Leone who had been adrift in the Mediterranean for three days, following the sinking of her migrant boat. She was found wearing a life jacket and two inner tubes, highlighting the dangers faced by migrants trying to reach Europe.
An 11-year-old girl has been heroically rescued after spending three long days clinging to inner tubes in the Mediterranean Sea. The young survivor, from Sierra Leone, was found by rescuers from the non-governmental organization Compass Collective after they heard her cries for help while responding to another emergency. She had embarked on the perilous journey with 44 others from Sfax, Tunisia, but their boat tragically sank amidst stormy weather and waves up to 11.5 feet high. While she managed to stay afloat with a simple life jacket and two inner tubes, her companions are presumed dead. Rescuers found her around 03:20 local time, and after bringing her to safety, she was handed over to Italian authorities on Lampedusa, where she was able to walk and speak. The alarming truth is that more than 30,000 migrants have either died or gone missing in the Mediterranean over the past decade, with Italy bearing the brunt of this ongoing crisis. Despite a decrease in numbers, the situation remains dire, exacerbated by the stringent policies of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government.
