Schoolgirl, 10, ONLY survivor found after migrant boat capsizes following three days adrift at sea
A 10-year-old schoolgirl has been identified as the sole survivor after a migrant boat capsized, leaving her floating in the sea for three days.
The girl was found by herself on a boat which initially left Sfax in Tunisia on Sunday.
She was rescued by operators who work for a non-governmental organisation earlier today on a boat called Trotamar III.
The 10-year-old said that the boat had sunk as a result of a storm which capsized the vessel, according to Italian news outlets.
However, she was able to stay above water by using an air pocket and a life vest.
Following initial questions, rescuers said that they believe the schoolgirl is from Sierra Leone.
However, it remains unclear why the girl was making such a journey by herself.
It has been alleged that 45 people were on the boat before it sank – leaving the girl as the only survivor from the perilous journey.
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The girl was found after operators heard a scream off the coast of Lampedusa – which is an island in the Mediterranean.
At the same time, rescuers were in the process of responding to another incident after 3am on Wednesday morning.
By 6am, she had been brought to shore.
In Italian law, minors have the automatic right to asylum.
A total of 356 migrants reached the shores of the island that same night, Italian news agency Ansa has reported.
The group of migrants were said to have been travelling on five separate boats, including one that held 111 individuals from Egypt, Eritrea, Pakistan, Syria, Sudan and Somalia.
The other boats were believed to hold people from Bangladesh, Syria, Morocco, Sudan and Iran – although each passenger said that they had left from Libya.
The massive group of migrants were rescued by local authorities, as well as police and Frontex officials.