Only 27 survived: A Mediterranean tragedy

On the night of April 18, a ship smuggling migrants from Libya to Italy sank, taking more than 800 souls with it.

On the night of April 18, a ship smuggling migrants from Libya to Italy sank, taking more than 800 souls with it.

Photos by Tullio M. Puglia/Getty Images

These photos were taken on April 20, when the Italian Coast Guard ship Gregretti docked into the Catania harbor, in Sicily, with the only 27 survivors. Among them were the captain and the first mate of the migrant boat, who were arrested as smugglers and charged with multiple homicides.

Survivors disembark the Coast Guard ship:

According to the International Organization for Migration, the few survivors who crossed to Italy from Libya originally hail from Mali, Gambia, Ivory Coast, Eritrea, Senegal and Sierra Leone.

As the EU struggles to establish a program to combat the smugglers, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, points to the real reasons behind the crossings. “We have repeatedly underscored that no one who has food to eat, who is safe from torture, and rape, and from falling bombs, who has healthcare for his family, education for her children, decent and productive work would readily embark on these perilous journeys,” he said.

Survivors continue to disembark:

Italian Minister Graziano Delrio boards the Italian Coast Guard ship to greet survivors and thank the crew for rescuing them:

In the back left corner of this photo, you can see the sunken ship’s skipper, Tunisian Mohammed Ali Malek:

As the mayor of Lampedusa island Giusi Nicolini said after the shipwreck, it’s worth remembering that only some of the smugglers are effectively coming from inside a criminal organization per se. More often, they are migrants themselves who can’t afford the crossing and pay their debt to the smugglers by way of minding the boat and taking others across the sea.

Soon after arriving in Catania, Mohammed Ali Malek was charged with reckless multiple homicide, while Syrian crew member Mahmud Bikhit was charged with human trafficking.

Malik and Bikhit prior to their arrest:

CATANIA, ITALY — APRIL 20: Tunisian skipper Mohammed Ali Malek and Syrian crew member Mahmud Bikhit stand on the deck of the Italian Coast Guard ship Gregretti which is carrying 27 survivors of the migrant shipwreck in the mediterranean, at Catania port on April 20, 2015 in Catania, Italy. The weekend saw the worst disaster of its kind as hundreds of migrants are believed to have perished as they attempted to cross the mediterranean from Libya to Italy in order to seek refuge. Tunisian skipper Mohammed Ali Malek, was arrested and charged with reckless multiple homicide, Syrian crew member Mahmud Bikhit was also arrested and charged with people trafficking as they stepped onto Sicilian soil last night. (Photo by Tullio M. Puglia/Getty Images)

Despite some Italian political parties engaging in increasingly anti-migrant rhetoric, there were innumerable displays of compassion and solidarity for the victims: