ROME - A family of four, who were amongst a group of 92 people rescued from a boat in the Mediterranean Sea, near Malta, lost a child on the journey.

 They were picked up by the Search and Rescue ship the Ocean Viking, which is run by SOS MEDITERRANEE and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (I.F.R.C.). 

 Just after the rescue, Rahaf, who had an underlying heart condition, went into cardiac arrest.

 After successful CPR by the team on board, she was airlifted to a hospital in Malta.

 Tragically, she did not survive the journey and passed away in the helicopter. 

 The poem below is from Rahaf’s father, who wrote it, hours after her passing.
 

 On the shore of death, your journey ended. 

 Your little heart, still unripe, could not endure. 

 It was filled with love, overflowing until the very last breath. 

 You left, my beautiful one, my little one. 

 Your gentle voice has vanished forever, 

 Leaving behind a father, a mother, and a sister—Lost, wandering between sea and sky. 

 How could your kind heart leave your dears suddenly? 

 You bore the hardship of travel, the cruelty of the waves—All for what?  

 For a dignified life. 

 Yes, you have found it now, Rahaf. You are in eternal bliss. 

 May your soul rest in peace, my love. 

 Rahaf Murhaf Al-Hussein

 (translated from Arabic)

 “Rahaf’s death is not an isolated case. The Mediterranean is one of the deadliest migration routes in the world.

  At least 115 children lost their lives attempting to cross the Mediterranean in 2024 alone.

  Since 2014, 31.287 migrants have drowned or gone missing during the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean Sea. 

  Behind every number is a person: a child, father, a sister—risking everything in search of safety and dignity. 

  "And no-one should be in such danger, trying to reach safety or a better life,” said SOS Mediterranee, which is the organisation which saved the other 91 people.  

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