One-year old migrant boy ‘crosses Mediterranean alone’; ‘spotted by rescuers on boat among 70 men’
- Other migrants did not know child’s identity; were reportedly ‘begged by parents to keep him safe’, perhaps when they were denied boarding
- Newspaper said baby ‘crossed sea before he could walk; he braved waves alone, too young to reveal his name and story’
A one-year-old boy believed to have been sent by his parents to make the dangerous Mediterranean crossing alone has made it safely to the Italian island of Lampedusa, Italian media reports said on Saturday.
The child, estimated to be barely a year old, was among 500-plus people who arrived on the small island in seven separate landings over the past two days, the Repubblica daily newspaper said.
He was spotted by rescuers in the midst of some 70 men in a boat which landed on Friday, it said.
“He crossed the Mediterranean before he even learned to walk. He braved the waves alone... too young to reveal his name and his story,” said the article.
The other migrants had no idea who the child was, but were reportedly begged by his parents to keep him safe during the crossing, possibly because they were prevented from boarding with him, the daily said.
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Another arrival was the 14-year-old son of a woman who died during a rescue off the island.