Most of the 21 adults and children onboard had left behind war and torture, and said they would rather die on this crossing than return.
All of them were pulled safely on to the search and rescue vessel Life Support. Its crew, from the Italian NGO Emergency, had been alerted by Alarm Phone, an organisation that runs a hotline for people in distress at sea.
"We called them when water entered our boat. We were terrified," said Hanan Muhanned, a 33-year-old Libyan cradling her screaming three-year-old daughter, Qala. "Getting into the boat and trying for Europe was still better than the militias, better than conflict in Libya." Muhanned had paid a smuggler about $3,000 (£2,400) to take her, her husband and three children to
Europe. Qala, who was born with an undiagnosed condition that left her unable to walk or speak, was her main concern. "We want the best future and medical care for our daughter," Muhanned said.
The Mediterranean Sea remains the world's most perilous migration route. Yet, despite this, the numbers crossing are rising again.
Last year, more than 270,000 migrants arrived in Europe, most of them from across the Mediterranean, with a small number coming via land borders.
In 2023, at least 3,760 people died or remain missing.
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