A rescue mission off the coast of Lampedusa, Italy, ended in tragedy when three sisters from Sudan, aged 9, 11, and 17, lost their lives during a dangerous Mediterranean crossing.
The girls had left Libya on Friday night with their mother and brother, along with more than 60 others, in an overcrowded and partially deflated rubber dinghy. Their goal was to reach safety in Italy.
The boat ran into rough seas, with waves nearly 1.5 meters high, and began taking on water.
German aid group RESQSHIP, operating the ship NADIR, found the sisters and attempted resuscitation, but the children had been submerged for too long.
Their mother, in shock, refused to leave their side, according to volunteers. Survivors, including the mother and brother, were later brought to Italy on Saturday.
This latest tragedy adds to the staggering toll of the Central Mediterranean route, considered the world’s deadliest migration path.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that at least 30,000 people have died attempting the crossing since 2014.
Many migrants attempting the journey are fleeing war, persecution, or poverty in Africa. In Libya, they often face exploitation by smugglers, who charge high fees for unsafe boats.
Reports have also accused the EU-backed Libyan Coast Guard of involvement in human trafficking, torture, and enslavement, despite its official mandate to curb irregular migration.
The sisters’ deaths highlight the ongoing human cost of the refugee crisis, as families continue to risk everything in search of safety across the Mediterranean.