Migrants: a one-year-old child crossed the Mediterranean alone, according to Italian media

Europe 1 with AFP 3:02 p.m., December 18, 2021

An unaccompanied one-year-old child, who was reportedly sent by his parents to attempt the perilous crossing of the Mediterranean alone, arrived safe and sound on the island of Lampedusa, Italian media reported on Saturday.

The child, who is said to be barely a year old, was spotted by rescuers amid some 70 men on a boat that docked on the Sicilian island on Friday, according to the daily La Repubblica.

500 migrants arrived in two days

Some 500 migrants have arrived in seven separate landings on the small island in the past two days, according to the newspaper. "He crossed the Mediterranean before he even learned to walk. He braved the waves on his own," the newspaper added, stressing that the child is "too young to reveal his name and history". The other migrants did not know the identity of the child, but his parents allegedly pleaded with them to keep him safe during the crossing, possibly because they had not been able to board with him, according to the daily.

Other recent migrants include a 14-year-old boy whose mother died during a rescue attempt off the island. "She was on a boat with 25 other people, including her own son who saw her drowning," Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said on Twitter. "A new loss that could have been avoided at the gates of Europe, a new life cut short by irresponsible migration policies," said MSF.

The departures of migrants wishing to reach Europe via the Mediterranean, from Libya or Tunisia, are up sharply compared to previous years.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), some 1,340 people have died attempting the dangerous crossing of the central Mediterranean since the start of the year.