Dead man found at sea in January identified as missing Erasmus student
Samiel Daroussi was last seen in Sliema in January
A man who had come to Malta for an internship and had been reported missing earlier this year has been identified by police as the body found at St George's Bay.
In a statement on Sunday, police confirmed that the body found at St George's Bay back in January is that of Samiel Daroussi, the 30-year-old French national who had been reported missing by the police days before. The confirmation came after all necessary tests were made.
In a police statement on January 18, police said the body was spotted at around 1 am at St George's Bay in St Julian's. The man had been dead for several days, and the body was found in an advanced state of decomposition.
The magisterial inquiry and the Police investigations into this case are still ongoing.
Daroussi, from Mayotte - a French overseas territory near Madagascar - arrived in Malta at the beginning of December for a three-month internship under the Erasmus+ programme. The placement formed part of his training to become a technician and was also intended to help him improve his English.
He was last seen at his Sliema apartment on January 2, and a roommate had said all of his personal belongings were left in his room.
Back in January, SAS Daesa, the training centre in Mayotte that sent Daroussi to Malta, had told Times of Malta that no one had seen or been able to contact Daroussi for over four days since he went missing.
In a statement on Sunday, the centre extended its condolences to his family, loved ones, fellow trainees, and all those involved in the search efforts over the past few months.