In October 2013, hundreds of people died in two shipwrecks off Malta and Lampedusa, with rescuers from the Italian island fishing more than 350 dead out of the sea. Sarah Carabott was at a commemoration in Lampedusa, where mayor Totò Martello says corpses continue to be brought ashore.

Europe will not solve the migration crisis with money and needs to acknowledge the particular challenges faced by border countries like Lampedusa and Malta, Totò Martello has warned eight years from the tragedy.

The mayor was speaking to Times of Malta as the island marked the day when, at 3.15am, Lampedusa residents woke up to the screams of scores of shipwrecked people.

The October 3 tragedy will be remembered for the death of 368 people including a newborn still attached to his mother through the umbilical cord.

Eight days later, more than 50 people – and possibly up to 200 – drowned in another shipwreck in which the Armed Forces of Malta managed to rescue 143 migrants. The Italian navy saved another 56 who were taken to Lampedusa.

October 3 has since become the Italian National Day of Remembrance and Reception.

This year, EU entities including the Malta-based NGO KOPIN, which is participating in the project Snapshot from the Borders, joined the Lampedusa mayor, also a participant, in remembering the victims.

During an emotional commemoration overlooking the sea where hundreds perished in search of a better future, Martello told activists, survivors and the media that the authorities recently brought in a man who was barely alive.

“We then fished out seven bodies… another time we found 13 corpses, including those of pregnant women. Witnessing such scenes hits you deep down,” he told those gathered in prayer.

“A sense of anger festers on and we need to push and tell others that the Mediterranean – the sea of peace – has become the sea of the dead.

“Those who don’t face the challenge of migration should be ashamed of themselves,” he said.

Martello lamented that Lampedusa was only remembered in times of tragedy and was otherwise left on its own to deal with the challenges of migration.

He also expressed concern over the distinction made between refugees and economic migrants, insisting migrants were all human and not just numbers.

But his calls for solidarity did not go down well with all.

A resident couple who was listening to the mayor’s comments told Times of Malta that words like “welcoming” and “solidarity” were hard to swallow, mirroring comments from Marsa residents who recently spoke to this newspaper.  

Asked for his reaction, Martello said people felt abandoned.

Lampedusa, Malta and other countries at the border who faced similar migration challenges were only remembered in times of tragedy, he told Times of Malta, adding that those at the border were otherwise forgotten, with many believing challenges would resolve on their own.

“There are pros and cons that need to be taken into consideration by politicians at central and European levels. The EU cannot adopt the same attitude that it adopts for cities that are not at the border because the problems and perceptions are completely different,” he said.

Asked whether anything had been learnt from the October 3 tragedy, Martello said Europe thought it could solve problems by funding projects.

“It does not understand that the issue is not a monetary one… It eases its conscience by saying it has invested in migrants through funding. But while money can translate into something tangible and good, it could also end up in the wrong hands.” Martello called for “dignity at the border”, adding that the various aspects of migration needed to be tackled holistically.

Shipwreck survivors urge authorities: don't wait for migrants to die at sea

While mayor Totò Martello was addressing activists and the media, the Italian coastguard pulled in a boat with migrants who had just been rescued. Over the course of two days, more than 600 people rescued from several boats were brought ashore to Lampedusa.

As residents and tourists looked on at the coastguard vessel, a Syrian man who had survived the October 3 tragedy noted that every time he saw a boat being pulled into the harbour, he hoped it was not laden with corpses.

Upon hearing him, two women started crying, mourning their loved ones. Moved, an elderly man approached one of the women, hugged her and held her shoulders firmly in his hands. He told her that, despite speaking a different language, he could understand her pain.

“I too lost my son at sea, although under different circumstances. I feel your heartbreak. Our tears are the same,” he told her in Italian.

Two young Eritreans, who also survived the shipwreck, told Times of Malta they had returned to Lampedusa to remember their lost friends and gain some closure.

Eskindr Gebrit, who was only 21 back then, still recalls the desperate attempts of the shipwrecked people to help each other strip down to their underwear so that the soaked clothes would not weigh them down.

Sadly, he could not help two of the people who had assisted him while they scrambled to get to shore. He later learnt they had drowned.

His friend, Habtom Meharena, who has since moved to Sweden, believes the October 3 tragedy softened the authorities’ heart slightly, however, he urged the Maltese and Italian authorities to help asylum seekers navigate their way to safety rather than just “wait for them to die at sea”.