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Dozens of migrants feared dead after 11-year-old girl found alive in sea off Italy, rescue group says
More than 40 migrants are feared dead off Italy’s Lampedusa after a lone 11-year-old survivor said the boat she was on capsized, a rescue group said Wednesday.
“We assume that she is the only survivor of the shipwreck and that the other 44 people drowned,” said Compass Collective, which assists in migrant rescue missions in the Mediterranean.
The group’s Trotamar III vessel “heard the calls in the darkness” of the girl Wednesday morning at approximately 2:20 am (0120 GMT) while heading to another emergency.
“The 11-year-old girl, originally from Sierra Leone, had been floating in the water for three days with two improvised life jackets made from tire tubes filled with air and a simple life jacket,” the group said in a statement. Compass Collective also released images of the tire tubes and rescuers treating the girl.
Compass Collective
Mauro Marino, a doctor who examined her, told the Repubblica daily that he believed the girl was in the sea for some 12 hours.
The girl told rescuers that the metal boat left from Sfax, Tunisia. She said that the boat sunk within seconds as strong storms with 11-foot waves hit and that she – and two others – were together in the water for a while but then lost contact, the BBC reported.
“The girl had no drinking water or food with her and was hypothermic, but reactive and oriented,” Compass Collective said.
A spokeswoman for Mediterranean Hope, another charity, told AFP the girl was recuperating in hospital after her rescue.
Group representatives found the girl to be “very tired,” said spokeswoman Marta Bernardini.
Italian news agency ANSA reported that the coast guard and police boats were searching the area on Wednesday where the shipwrecked boat was found.
“They have not yet found bodies nor traces of clothing,” ANSA wrote.
According to the International Organization for Migration, more than 30,00 migrants have died or remain missing while trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea since it started recording figures 10 years ago. The BBC reports that Italy has borne the brunt, receiving more than 63,000 this year alone, according to data released by the United Nation.
Last year, at least 64 people, including eight children, died when their overcrowded wooden boat slammed into the shoals just a few hundred meters off Italy’s Calabrian coast and broke apart early in rough seas.
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Teen chess prodigy Gukesh Dommaraju becomes youngest world champion: “I did not really expect to win”
India on Thursday hailed chess prodigy Gukesh Dommaraju after the 18-year-old became the youngest world champion with a thrilling final win over China’s Ding Liren.
Gukesh surpassed a record held by Russia’s Garry Kasparov, who won the title at age 22, after clinching a dramatic endgame in Singapore to be crowned champion.
Dommaraju burst into tears as the room erupted with cheers from spectators, the BBC reported.
“I probably got so emotional because I did not really expect to win that position,” he said, according to the Reuters news agency.
SIMON LIM/AFP via Getty Images
He also became the second Indian after five-time world chess champion Viswanathan Anand to hold the title.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the tributes to what he described as a “historic and exemplary” achievement.
“Congratulations to Gukesh D on his remarkable accomplishment. This is the result of his unparalleled talent, hard work and unwavering determination,” Modi wrote on social media.
“His triumph has not only etched his name in the annals of chess history but has also inspired millions of young minds to dream big and pursue excellence. My best wishes for his future endeavours.”
Anand, who played a mentor’s role in Gukesh’s remarkable journey, said the teenager had excelled.
“Congratulations! It’s a proud moment for chess, a proud moment for India… and for me, a very personal moment of pride,” Anand said on X.
Gukesh won the final game, which appeared to be heading towards a draw that would have necessitated further tiebreak matches, after pouncing on a blunder by Ding.
“Ding seemed to have a risk-free chance to push for a win but instead liquidated into a pawn-down endgame,” Chess.com wrote in its post-game summary, according to the BBC. “It should have been drawn, but Ding blundered as the pressure grew.”
SIMON LIM/AFP via Getty Images
Indian sport shooter and Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra said the teenager has “inspired a generation.”
“Your brilliance, determination, and grace under pressure have made the entire nation proud,” said Bindra.
“You’ve not just won a title but inspired a generation to dream big. Wishing you even greater success ahead!”
Born to a doctor father and microbiologist mother in the south Indian city of Chennai, Gukesh became India’s youngest grandmaster aged 12 years, seven months and 17 days, and among the youngest in the history of the game.
He reached the world championship by becoming the youngest-ever winner of the prestigious Candidates Tournament in April.
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Teen chess prodigy Gukesh Dommaraju becomes youngest world champion: “I did not really expect to win”
Inside the online response to CEO’s murder, dominated by frustration with American health care
Max sentence sought for wife of MN prisons chief charged with trying to kill disabled son