An 11-year-old girl was rescued from the central Mediterranean early Wednesday after clinging to two inner tubes for three days after the boat she was on sank in stormy weather.
The non-governmental organization Compass Collective rescued the girl from Sierra Leone and was believed to be the only survivor from the boat that set out from Tunisia. About 45 others perished when their boat sank.
The unnamed girl didn't have drinking water or food and was hypothermic when she was rescued by the sailboat TROTAMAR III.
She said she had been in contact with two other people in the water two days ago but eventually stopped hearing them.
"It was only by chance that the crew had heard the calls in the darkness at 3:20 a.m. and immediately initiated a rescue maneuver," Compass Collective reported.
The girl was responsive and oriented despite her ordeal.
The crew on the rescue boat cared for her until they were able to hand her over to the rescue service on the island Lampedusa at 6 a.m.
Skipper Matthias Wiedenlübbert said, ."
He said they looked for more survivors but, "After the storm that lasted for days with over 23 knots and waves 2.5 meters high, it was hopeless."
The TROTAMAR III is a German sailing ship that has supported sea rescues in the Mediterranean since August 2023.
Hours before the young girl was rescued the crew had already found an unseaworthy wooden boat without an engine with 53 people onboard. Volunteers distributed life jackets and informed the Italian authorities of their whereabouts.
In other operations, up to 64 people were rescued directly onto the boat.
Katja Tempel, from Compass Collective, said, "Even during storms, people are forced to use risky escape routes across the Mediterranean."
Thousands of migrants have died in the treacherous waters of the Mediterranean in recent years, according to advocacy groups.
