On June 14, 2023, a fishing boat packed with around 750 migrants sank into the Mediterranean Ocean near Greece. The trawler started its voyage in Libya and headed toward Italy.
Approximately 500 people were reported missing. 104 are known to have survived, mostly Syrians, Egyptians, and Pakistanis. They were trying to reach Europe to seek better lives.
The migrants were traveling to Italy for different reasons. Some of them needed to find jobs to support their families. Some had their residency renewal denied and were forced to leave the country they had lived in. Others were escaping the Syrian civil war.
Thaer al-Rahal was one of the migrants onboard. His four-year-old son Khalid had leukemia and needed a bone-marrow transplant. His family didn’t have enough money to pay for the cost, so al-Rahal had to work in Europe to earn money.
Matloob Hussain’s residency renewal was rejected by the Greek government. He boarded the ship to Italy to look for opportunities to support his family.
“Europe doesn’t understand,” said his brother, Adiil Hussain, interviewed in Greece where they had lived together. “We don’t leave because we want to. There is simply nothing for us in Pakistan.”
Approximately 500 people were reported missing. 104 are known to have survived, mostly Syrians, Egyptians, and Pakistanis. They were trying to reach Europe to seek better lives.
The migrants were traveling to Italy for different reasons. Some of them needed to find jobs to support their families. Some had their residency renewal denied and were forced to leave the country they had lived in. Others were escaping the Syrian civil war.
Thaer al-Rahal was one of the migrants onboard. His four-year-old son Khalid had leukemia and needed a bone-marrow transplant. His family didn’t have enough money to pay for the cost, so al-Rahal had to work in Europe to earn money.
Matloob Hussain’s residency renewal was rejected by the Greek government. He boarded the ship to Italy to look for opportunities to support his family.
“Europe doesn’t understand,” said his brother, Adiil Hussain, interviewed in Greece where they had lived together. “We don’t leave because we want to. There is simply nothing for us in Pakistan.”
