A migrant boat struck a 17-year-old girl, causing her to suffer multiple fractures; the vessel then continued its journey to an Italian beach after the men on board decided against helping the victim
A 17-year-old tourist has been left seriously injured after a speeding migrant boat ploughed into her while she was swimming off Sardinia’s coast.
The small boat was carrying 14 migrants when it struck the girl around 200m off Su Giudeu Beach in Sardinia, Italy, on August 16.
The vessel appears to continue towards the coast after crashing into the teenager rather than stopping to help her.
The teenager, who was on holiday on the island and has not been named, suffered several fractures in the horrific collision, which was captured on video. She also lost consciousness, leaving her at risk of drowning in the water.
Beachgoers rushed to her aid before she was airlifted to a hospital in nearby Cagliari, where she was admitted to intensive care in a serious condition.
Her condition improved in the following days, and she has since been moved out of intensive care, according to local reports.
A 28-year-old Algerian man, who was allegedly at the helm of the boat, has been arrested on suspicion of facilitating illegal immigration and causing extremely serious bodily injuries.
Shocking footage has emerged showing the moment a speeding migrant boat ploughed into a 17-year-old swimmer and left her seriously injured
The video appears to show the vessel continuing towards the coast after the collision rather than stopping to help the teenager
A 16-year-old boy who was swimming with the girl said he managed to dodge the vessel at the last moment before rushing to help his injured friend.
He told local media: ‘I was with her, I moved out of the way and saved myself. After the impact, they stopped, looked at us and ran away.’
He disputed claims that those on board had not realised they had hit the teenager.
He said: ‘It’s not true that they didn’t realise what had happened.’
Following the collision, the fibreglass vessel, powered by an 85-horsepower outboard motor, continued towards Tuerredda Beach.
The passengers allegedly got off after reaching the coast and attempted to flee on foot.
Police later tracked down the entire group, consisting of undocumented adult men believed to be Algerian nationals.
The alleged driver has been taken to prison in Uta while the investigation continues.
The incident comes amid a string of violent episodes involving migrant boats.
Last week, French police clashed with migrants as they intercepted the launch of their small boat.
A video, filmed on a beach in northern France, shows young men in life jackets throwing stones at officers to keep them away from their dinghy – forcing them to use Pava spray before slashing the inflatable with a knife.
And in March, an inflatable vessel carrying migrants collided with a Turkish coast guard vessel off the southern coast of Turkey, leaving at least 14 people dead.
The coast guard revealed that the incident occurred off the coast of the Finike district.
Turkish officials said the boat was detected early Monday and ignored repeated warnings to halt.
The boat reportedly tried to flee before crashing into a coast guard patrol boat.
