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How many of the 1500 asylum seeker lives lost at sea since 2001 could have been saved?
Zahra (6), Fatima (7) and Eman (9) - the daughters of Sondos Ismail and Ahmed Alzalimi -  three of the 146 children who lost their lives when the vessel that has become known as SIEVX foundered in international waters en route to Christmas Island on 19 October 2001.
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Heartfelt message from SIEVX Survivor on the 11th Anniversary of the Sinking

by Sadeq Al Abodei
19 October 2012

Sadeq Al Abodei with his daughter, Kauthar just days after the sinking of SIEVX I write to you with my heart in pain

It was an international tragedy that I lived through. Even now I am still watching the people around me die, women men and children, as if they were looking for a hand to extend to them from heaven to save them from drowning. But as hope died in their hearts, they died. The ocean was their only grave. We could not bury them so we have no place where we can visit to remember them.

I am one of the survivors from the ship which sank when trying to go to Australia in 2001 and later renamed SIEVX. Today is 19 October 2012, the 11th anniversary of the sinking of the ship . Therefore I send my condolences and compassion for all the dead children, women and men.

I lost my wife in the accident. She died after despairing of rescue for the more than 350 people on board, most who were women and children.

I survived with my daughter who was less than two years old and the only small child to survive the sinking. She escaped miraculously - I held her on my shoulders for 18 hours, from Friday afternoon to Saturday morning. Throughout the night she cried. We struggled to stay alive, through severe thirst and hunger and loss of consciousness. I would start to fall asleep and then suddenly lift my head so as to be beyond drowning. Every time this happened I thought my little daughter had died and I feared I would die too as I was tired and exhausted with no hope of survival.

God alone was our messenger and saved us. We were a total of 13 people on a small piece of floating timber after the boat sank but during the night more than five died because they had lost their families. The salt water and the waves killed many and long after midnight we lost all hope of survival. We could barely resist, we were almost dead until rescued by fishermen.

We continue to suffer. The tragedy was too big. We have seen the deaths of children and women parading between the waves. Our lives have been severely narrowed by what happened to us. It is hard to work, we are always tired. Our income is not enough to fill our needs and to this day we suffer from debt that we had to take on in order to try and reach Australia, the country we dreamed in which our children would live and learn and complete their studies.

Through your website I appeal to all charities to save us and help us. We hoped to meet you in Australia.

Through this website I appeal to the Prime Minister, the government, political and charitable figures to help us so that we can do better in our lives after suffering so severely in the sinking accident.

We hope to visit Australia which was the dream for our children.

I am now held in Finland with my daughter, Kausar.

Thanks to all the workers on the SIEVX website.

Sincerely,

Sadeq Al Abodei
sadeq1910@yahoo.com
Phone: 0011 358404436270

 

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