**An 11-year-old girl from Sierra Leone was saved after enduring three days at sea, bringing awareness to the perilous journey faced by many migrants.**
**Girl, 11, Found After Surviving Three Days Adrift in Mediterranean Waters**
**Girl, 11, Found After Surviving Three Days Adrift in Mediterranean Waters**
**A harrowing rescue highlights the ongoing migration crisis in the Mediterranean.**
In a remarkable rescue operation, an 11-year-old girl has been saved after spending three harrowing days clinging to inner tubes in the treacherous waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Rescuers from the non-governmental organization Compass Collective were en route to respond to another emergency when they heard her desperate calls for help.
The young girl, whose identity remains undisclosed, embarked on the perilous journey alongside 44 others, leaving from Sfax, Tunisia. Tragically, their metal vessel capsized in violent storms, and all but her are presumed lost at sea. Reports indicate that the boat sank almost instantly as 3.5-meter (11.5-foot) waves battered it, leaving her and a couple of others struggling in the water until they were separated.
According to Compass Collective spokeswoman Katja Tempel, the girl had managed to stay afloat with a basic life jacket and two inner tubes around her waist. She was discovered by the crew aboard the Trotamar III at approximately 03:20 local time on Wednesday. After her rescue, the girl was transferred to Italian authorities on Lampedusa Island, where she was able to communicate and walk.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that over the past decade, 30,955 migrants have died or gone missing while attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea. In the current year alone, Italy has recorded more than 63,000 migrant arrivals, largely due to increasingly stringent policies implemented by the right-wing government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni aiming to address the ongoing migration crisis.
The young girl, whose identity remains undisclosed, embarked on the perilous journey alongside 44 others, leaving from Sfax, Tunisia. Tragically, their metal vessel capsized in violent storms, and all but her are presumed lost at sea. Reports indicate that the boat sank almost instantly as 3.5-meter (11.5-foot) waves battered it, leaving her and a couple of others struggling in the water until they were separated.
According to Compass Collective spokeswoman Katja Tempel, the girl had managed to stay afloat with a basic life jacket and two inner tubes around her waist. She was discovered by the crew aboard the Trotamar III at approximately 03:20 local time on Wednesday. After her rescue, the girl was transferred to Italian authorities on Lampedusa Island, where she was able to communicate and walk.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that over the past decade, 30,955 migrants have died or gone missing while attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea. In the current year alone, Italy has recorded more than 63,000 migrant arrivals, largely due to increasingly stringent policies implemented by the right-wing government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni aiming to address the ongoing migration crisis.
