Stories of survivors

Syed, a 35 year-old man from Pakistan, spent five years in Libya including two years in detention in complete isolation. During these two years he suffered torture and sexual violence. 

Kosey* was nearly 24 years old when he was rescued by the Ocean Viking on the October 30, 2024, along with 24 men in the Maltese-Tunisian Search and Rescue Region, following an alert by Alarm Phone (a hotline for boats in distress).

Yamal, Visca, and Joseph are 16, 17, and 17, respectively. The three are Somali and met in Libya after fleeing violence and extreme poverty. They were rescued the night of February 23, 2025 near an oil platform in the Libyan Search and Rescue Region. 

Arham* a young doctor from Ethiopia, was rescued on the March 9, 2025 from a fiberglass boat in distress in the Libyan Search and Rescue Region. During the operation, a Libyan Coast Guard vessel was just 10 minutes away from reaching the boat.

*Name changed to preserve privacy.

Bassel, 26, was among 24 men rescued from a wooden boat on October 30, 2024, in the overlapping Maltese and Tunisian Search and Rescue Regions. According to survivors, the group quickly ran out of food and water and spent four days at sea in bad weather conditions.

On October 30, 2024, Joser, age 23, was among 25 men rescued from a wooden boat in the overlapping Maltese and Tunisian Search and Rescue Regions. The rescue followed several alerts issued by Alarm Phone, a hotline for people in distress at sea, regarding the vessel’s distress.