Somali woman dies at sea in tragic smuggling journey to Mayotte
Mogadishu: The family of beauty salon owner Fathi Hussein is mourning her tragic death after a failed attempt to reach the French island of Mayotte. The perilous journey ended in disaster when smugglers abandoned the migrants, leaving them adrift in the Indian Ocean for nearly two weeks.
“We were told by survivors that she died from hunger,” Fathi's stepsister, Samira, revealed in a phone interview. Fathi was among more than 70 passengers who set out on two small boats but were left stranded. Survivors recounted that while others consumed raw fish and seawater, Fathi refused. "They said she started hallucinating before she died, and her body was then thrown into the ocean," Samira explained.
The family learned of her death when fellow Somali survivors were rescued by fishermen off the coast of Madagascar. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 24 people died, while 48 survived the ordeal.
Fathi's decision to undertake the dangerous voyage puzzled her family, as she had a thriving beauty salon in Mogadishu’s middle-class Yaqshid neighborhood. She confided only in her younger sister, explaining that she used her earnings to pay the smugglers. “She used to hate the ocean. I don’t know why she made that choice. I wish I could hug her,” Samira lamented.
Fathi's journey began on November 1, when she flew to Mombasa, Kenya, before embarking on the treacherous 1,100 km boat trip. Survivors said the smugglers, claiming mechanical issues, transferred passengers to smaller boats, falsely assuring them they would reach Mayotte in three hours. Instead, they drifted for 14 days.
Some survivors believe the smugglers intentionally abandoned them after receiving payment. Frantz Celestin, a regional official with the IOM, described the growing risk migrants face attempting to reach Mayotte. "This year has been particularly deadly for migrants," he said, citing a recent tragedy where 25 others perished.
The journey to Mayotte, often seen as a gateway to Europe, has become increasingly common. Routes vary, with some migrants traveling via the Comoros Islands, while others fly to Madagascar before attempting the final sea leg. One survivor, Khadar Mohamed, recalled his own harrowing experience, escaping Somalia due to threats from the militant group al-Shabab.
Families of the victims report paying smugglers around $6,000 for the journey, half of it upfront. Despite promises of safer, larger boats, many migrants end up on small fishing vessels known as "kwassa."
Somalia’s Foreign Minister, Ahmed Moalim Fiqi, stated efforts are underway to contact survivors and bring them home. Meanwhile, Fathi’s family reported a suspected smuggler in Mogadishu, who was arrested but later released on bail.“I wish she could have said goodbye,” Samira said, her voice heavy with grief. “I’ll never know what she felt in those final moments, and that pain will stay with me forever.”
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5.8 magnitude quake hits Afghanistan killing 8
Kabul (AP): An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.8 rattled parts of northern and eastern Afghanistan and western Pakistan late Friday, killing at least eight people in Afghanistan, authorities said.
The region is highly seismically active, and quakes have caused thousands of deaths in recent years. Friday's earthquake had an epicentre in the Hindu Kush mountain range, about 150 kilometres (90 miles) east of the Afghan city of Kunduz, according to the Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Center and the US Geological Survey.
Hafizullah Basharat, a spokesman for the Kabul governor, said eight people were killed and a child was injured when a house collapsed on the outskirts of the capital. He said all were members of the same family.
Kabul is roughly 290 kilometres (180 miles) southwest of the epicentre. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries from areas closer to the epicentre. The area is remote, and it can often take several hours before local authorities can relay information back to Kabul.
With the epicentre at a depth of over 180 kilometers, the quake jolted a wide swath of Afghanistan and Pakistan. In Pakistan, it was felt in the cities and towns of Islamabad, Peshawar, Chitral, Swat and Shangla, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries in Pakistan.
Afghanistan's Health Ministry spokesman Sharafat Zaman said Kabul and provincial health authorities had been put on alert.
Last August, a 6.0 earthquake that struck a remote, mountainous part of eastern Afghanistan killed more than 2,200 people, levelling villages and trapping people under rubble. Most casualties were in Kunar province, where people typically live in wood and mud-brick houses along steep valleys.
In November, a 6.3 earthquake struck Samangan province in northern Afghanistan, killing at last 27 people and injuring more than 950. It also damaged historical sites, including Afghanistan's famed Blue Mosque in the city of Mazar-e-Sharif, and the Bagh-e-Jahan Nama Palace in Khulm.
On Oct 7, 2023, a 6.3 quake followed by strong aftershocks in western Afghanistan killed thousands of people.
Impoverished Afghanistan often faces difficulty in responding to natural disasters, especially in remote regions. Many homes in rural and outlying areas are made from mud bricks and wood, with many poorly built.
M5.9 earthquake strikes Afghanistan-Tajikistan border region in Badakhshan. Widely reported at 08:42 pm, depth 171 km. No immediate casualty or damage reports from Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, India or nearby areas. #sismo pic.twitter.com/Lhddad9Uwr
— GeoTechWar (@geotechwar) April 3, 2026
