A young man broke down after spotting a body he believed was his brother’s floating in the sea following a migrant boat disaster.
Heartbreaking footage shows a group of young men on a small vessel searching the water for victims after a boat carrying migrants capsized off Tunisia.
The group then spots a body floating in the sea.
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One of the men, apparently recognising the victim, can be heard crying out in shock: “Oh God, my brother, my brother.”
The men were searching for victims of a migrant boat that sank off the coast of Zarzis, Tunisia, late on Friday (21 August), as reported by Need To Know.
The vessel went down around 14 nautical miles from the coast with 15 mostly young people on board.
Tunisia’s National Guard General Directorate said 14 of the passengers were from Ben Guerdane, while one was from Zarzis.
Only one person, a young man named Osama Chouat, is known to have survived the disaster.
As of the latest update on Monday (24 August), 12 bodies had been recovered from the sea.
The Tunisian National Guard said search operations were continuing for the two people still missing.
Volunteers have also joined the effort, including carrying out searches from fishing boats.
The migrant vessel had left the Al Jadariya area between Zarzis and Ben Guerdane and was attempting to reach Italy.
Survivor Osama told local media that weather conditions had been unstable from the start of the journey.
After around five hours at sea, waves became so powerful that the boat capsized, throwing everyone on board into the water.
Those in the water initially tried to stay together and support each other.
But hours of swimming and powerful waves gradually exhausted the group, causing them to become separated and drift apart.
Remarkably, Osama survived for around 48 hours in the sea before being rescued by a passing Libyan commercial vessel.
The ship, travelling from Misrata to Zarzis, reportedly came across him after crew members heard his cries for help.
Osama was pulled from the water and taken to hospital in Zarzis, where he was treated for injuries including first-degree burns.
He believes the migrant boat was overloaded and said it was also carrying around 18 jerry cans of petrol and several containers of water.
According to one report, Osama said all 15 people on board were male and only 10 were wearing life jackets.
However, another report said he stated that two of those on board were minors.
Osama’s father told Tunisian media that seven of the 15 people on the boat were members of the same family.
Osama is believed to have attempted the dangerous crossing because he was unemployed.
The tragedy sparked violent protests in Ben Guerdane on Sunday (23 August) night, with protesters burning tyres and blocking roads.
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