Three Sisters Among Migrant Victims in Deadly Mediterranean Boat Tragedy

• Aug 24, 2025

Three sisters aged nine, eleven, and seventeen drowned after a migrant boat capsized in the central Mediterranean on Saturday, according to German rescue charity RESQSHIP. The tragedy unfolded as the overcrowded rubber vessel, carrying dozens of migrants from Libya’s Zuwara city, began filling with water after being battered by waves up to 1.5 meters high.

Rescuers described the desperate situation, with passengers panicking in the dark as seawater and petrol mixed inside the boat. Survivors were evacuated one at a time, but during the process, a crew member heard screams before the bodies of the three girls were discovered beneath the surface of the water. “The boat was dangerously overcrowded, it was pitch-dark, water was flooding in, people were panicking. In that chaos, it was impossible to see that the three sisters…had already drowned,” said Barbara Sartore, RESQSHIP’s communications coordinator aboard the rescue ship Nadir.

The charity said around 65 people were rescued, including the sisters’ mother and brother. Among the survivors were three pregnant women and a seven-month-old baby. Many required urgent medical care for chemical burns caused by the mixture of petrol and seawater inside the vessel. One passenger who had fallen overboard earlier remained missing.

Italy’s coastguard evacuated 14 people to the island of Lampedusa, while RESQSHIP transported the remaining survivors and the girls’ bodies to the island later in the day. The bodies of the sisters were formally received on Lampedusa, which continues to face high numbers of migrant arrivals due to its location in the central Mediterranean.

“What happened to the three sisters is unimaginable, as is the danger that people on the move face in search of safety,” said Katja Schnitzer, a crew member on the rescue mission.

The charity did not release the nationalities of the victims or survivors. However, the incident highlights the ongoing dangers faced by migrants making the perilous journey across the Mediterranean from North Africa.

According to United Nations agencies, more than 700 people have died this year alone attempting the central Mediterranean crossing. Aid groups and UN officials continue to urge European governments to expand search and rescue efforts and ensure safer disembarkation conditions for survivors.

This latest tragedy underscores the human cost of migration routes that remain among the deadliest in the world.