Stories of survivors

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.

Neerav, a 32-year-old father of two from Bangladesh, was among 139 people rescued on November 6th from an unseaworthy wooden boat. He spent over 10 hours on the lower deck with dozens of others, surrounded by fuel fumes and struggling to breathe.

Kojo*, a 20-year-old from Ghana, was rescued on November 6, 2024, along with 37 other people. They were found in a rubber boat in the Maltese Search and Rescue Region. 

Drissa, age 25, left Mali due to violent attacks by armed groups in his village. On February 23, 2025, he was rescued from a fiberglass boat in the Libyan Search and Rescue Region. His account reflects the risks faced by many individuals fleeing conflict in the Sahel region.

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