A Humanitarian Call by the Families of Zwara Boat Victims

On Sunday 24 August, 2014 Zwara boat sank near the Italian coasts. Out of the 712 people who were on the boat, the Italian authorities stated that they saved, thankfully, 488 people and pulled out 24 dead body while 200 people are still missing. According to survivors’ testimonies, the main reason behind this high number of victims is the Italian coast guard’s poor interest in the rescue mission where they threw only one net to one side of the boat. The people who were on the boat jostled to grab the net and, consequently, the boat turned upside down. After the boat turned upside down, three boats and one helicopter came to rescue the people who drowned which raises notable doubts over the 200 who are missing and the inability even to find their bodies. No humanitarian or political factions have delivered any kind of aids to the victims and their families. Also, the Italian authorities are dealing with issue in an unethical manner as it refuse to publish what information and pictures of dead bodies it have in order for the victims’ families to recognize their beloved ones. Furthermore, the Italian authorities say that one of the victim’s relatives has to come to Italy and check with the Italian authorities before they give him the body. This almost impossible for the victims’ families considering the extreme difficulty to acquire a Schengen visa for Syrians nowadays. (Source: Syrian Network For Human Rights)