Osama Ahmed, a 20-year-old Syrian man, displays a photo of himself with his father at the residence of the association 'LaMargelle Calais,' where he has been staying since his father went missing when their boat capsized on the night of October 23, 2024, in Calais, northern France on November 7, 2024. — AFP
Osama Ahmed's life took a dramatic turn one night in October when the small boat meant to ferry him and his father to the English coast sank shortly after departing from France. The 20-year-old Syrian was rescued, but when he awoke in the hospital and inquired about his dad, no one had any information. Since that moment, Osama has been desperately searching for his father, with whom he had hoped to begin a new life in Britain. Beyond the tragically long list of deaths in the Channel of migrants attempting to cross, another statistic is rapidly growing: Missing persons.
'I live in hope of finding him,' Osama told AFP in a house in Calais on the French coast where an association, La Margella, provided him shelter. He dismissed any notion that his dad might not have survived. 'God willing, I will find him,' he said. On the night between October 22 and 23, father and son attempted to cross the water, like 30,000 other migrants this year alone. It was their third attempt. They were part of a group of around 60 people hiding in the dunes who, at the signal of the people smugglers, rushed to the small boat waiting for them in the water.
But barely one kilometre (1,000 yards) into the journey, water began to seep in. The group turned the boat around, but the smugglers on the beach pushed them back out to sea, Osama said. He stated they had been promised lifejackets that never materialized because, according to the smugglers, they had been damaged. The boat's air chambers became completely deflated soon after departure, and everyone on board tumbled into the sea. For half an hour, Osama and his father managed to cling to each other, but when the boat began to disintegrate amid the panic and darkness, they were separated. Two ferries passed without stopping, and eventually, rescue services arrived.
French maritime authorities reported finding three bodies, one woman and two men, after the incident that occurred two kilometres (1.2 miles) off the French coast. Forty-five people were rescued, but survivors reported that there had been more people on board, suggesting that a number had gone missing. The tragedy was followed by other, similar incidents in the Channel, and authorities have since found nine bodies floating in the sea or washed up on northern French beaches, none of them the young Syrian's dad. Osama, who was treated in the hospital for burns caused by saltwater and fuel, has visited every police station, hospital, and Red Cross office in the area in search of his father, to no avail.
He informed officials about the clothes his dad wore last and about the ring in which his name is engraved. Police took a sample of Osama's DNA. Every time a body is found along the coast, Osama fears it could be his father. As the excruciating wait continues, his life plans are on hold. His family fled from Syria 13 years ago, to settle in Turkey. Two of Osama's brothers are already in England, having made the journey also in small boats. He flashed a big smile as he described his dad, 'the world's nicest man' and his 'role model.' On his phone, he has a picture of him, a man in his 50s wearing a white shirt and a jacket, and sporting a grey moustache.
French associations say the authorities should do more to help survivors locate their loved ones after failed crossings. 'People go missing and their families find it very hard to access services that might assist them in their search,' said Jeanne Bonnet, co-founder of La Margelle, which tries to help migrants navigate French officialdom. 'We sometimes get the feeling that we're being given the runaround,' she said. Osama, she said, was offered no accommodation when he left the hospital, injured and traumatized, so he returned to the same camp he had stayed in previously. That's where La Margella took charge of him. Braving cold temperatures and fog, close to 1,200 migrants have reached England onboard small boats since the beginning of November, according to British official figures. Sixty people have been confirmed dead this year—not counting the most recently discovered bodies and missing people—a record number since such Channel crossings started in 2018.
Source link: https://www.khaleejtimes.com
