Migrants who survived Madagascar boat tragedy arrive back in Somalia

MOGADISHU: Nearly 50 survivors of a migrant boat tragedy last month that left 25 people dead in the Indian Ocean off Madagascar arrived back in Somalia on Saturday and were received by government officials.

The survivors aged 17 to 50 wore outfits made of fabric with the Somali national flag colours as they disembarked from a plane in the capital, Mogadishu, visibly relieved to return to safety.

Many young Somalis embark every year on dangerous journeys in search of better opportunities abroad. The UN agency has previously raised concerns over the rise in irregular migration from Horn of Africa countries as people flee from conflict and drought.

The survivors told The Associated Press that they were stranded in the ocean for 13 days after their boat's engines failed.

Ahmed Hussein, who was travelling with his now-deceased cousin, said they were heading to Europe hoping for a better life. Two vessels carrying the migrants departed Somalia early last month.

“We were split into two small boats. The engine broke down, and we drifted at sea for 13 days with no functioning engine. We had no food or water, and the (few) dates we had ran out during those 13 days. We survived by catching some fish,” he said.

Officials in Madagascar and Somalia had earlier said the boats capsized but offered no further explanation. The authorities had also put the number of survivors at 48 but only 47 arrived in Somalia and the whereabouts of one survivor remained unclear as officials who received the 47 did not comment.

The boats left from a beach near the Somali capital, Mogadishu, on November 2 with 73 people on board and were believed to be headed to the French region of Mayotte, according to Jean-Edmond Randrianantenaina, the head of Madagascar's Maritime Ports Agency. Mayotte, an archipelago, is around 1,600 kilometers (990 miles) from Mogadishu.

Abdirashid Ibrahim, another survivor, recalled how some survivors had swollen ankles and couldn't walk after being rescued.

“On the boat, we had nowhere to sleep, no food, and we were crammed together. Some people died from shock, and others succumbed to starvation,” he told the AP.

Abdulkadir Burgal, the director of the Africa Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who was at the airport to receive the survivors, told journalists that some of the people who helped the migrants embark on the dangerous journey had been arrested while others died in the incident.

“Eight people involved in the trafficking of Somali migrants have been arrested,” he said.

Maryan Yasin, the president's special envoy for migration, said the survivors were happy to be home.

“They assured me they will never take the same risk again. The Somali government is committed to finding a resolution, and this resolution will be a collective effort,” she said.