Seven Somali Migrants buried in Italy after Mediterranean tragedy

Seven Somali migrants who died during a dangerous journey across the Mediterranean Sea have been buried in Bari, southern Italy.

The seven were laid to rest on September 9 at the Palese Cemetery in Bari in an Islamic funeral ceremony. Representatives of Italy’s Muslim community, the Bari municipal authorities, the Somali Consulate and the Somali community attended the burial.

The migrants died aboard a small wooden boat that departed from Zuwara, western Libya, on August 16, bound for Europe.

The rescue vessel Life Support, operated by the humanitarian organization EMERGENCY, reached the boat on the morning of August 17 while it was in international waters within Libya’s search-and-rescue area.

Rescuers found 57 people aboard the boat, seven of whom were already dead. Nine others required medical assistance, including two who were in critical condition due to suffocation.

EMERGENCY said many of the passengers had spent a long period in the cramped lower section of the boat, contributing to the severe medical conditions experienced by some of them.

Two critically ill passengers were later evacuated for medical treatment, while 48 survivors and the bodies of the seven deceased were transported aboard Life Support to the port of Bari on August 20.

The survivors included 45 men and five women, with 29 being unaccompanied minors. Among them was a 17-year-old Somali boy who said he had spent about a year travelling before reaching Libya.

The teenager said he had been in the lower section of the boat with two friends of the same age. One of his friends died, while the other was taken for medical treatment.

The burial took place nearly three weeks after the bodies were brought to Bari. Italian authorities, Muslim organizations and the Somali community worked together to ensure that the deceased received a dignified burial in accordance with Islamic traditions.

The central Mediterranean route from Libya remains one of the most dangerous migration routes to Europe, with hundreds of migrants dying or going missing at sea every year.

Mustaqbal