Gibril Darboe, a young Gambian migrant in Pescasseroli Italy,  lost two family members in the latest migrant shipwreck off Libya’s coast. Both were on a boat that went down in the Mediterranean on Thursday. They were on their way to Abruzzo.

Gibril Darboe, 28, lives, works, and plays football for the local team of Pescasseroli in Italy. “I’m devastated,” the young man told his friends, eliciting a powerful outpouring of passion and solidarity from the community. During this trying moment, the community came together to assist Gibril Darboe. They organized fundraisers, contributed resources, and offered words of support to assist him in overcoming his difficulties.

Gibril’s youthful relatives, including his biological brother, boarded a boat in the hopes of landing in Italy and improving their lives, following in the footsteps of Gibril, who has lived in Abruzzo, Lazio, and Molise National Park for over seven years. Instead, they were drowned at sea. They died at sea, cruelly destroying their hopes for a better future.

Hundreds of refugees attempt to reach the Italian shores every day, coming from Libya. The 28-year-old Gibril Darboe and others of his countrymen came to a Pescasseroli receiving center in 2016. He had also gotten on a boat and traveled across the Mediterranean to reach Italy. Soon after, he began working in a leather business in the area, showcasing his machine-operating skills.

It has been seven years since then; he became part of the local community, began playing football with the local club, secured employment, and, as a result, was granted permission to remain in Italy. He speaks Italian correctly now, and in Pescasseroli, everyone knows him. He returned to Gambia a few months ago to reunite with his family.

During his visit, a brother and nephew had left for Libya with the goal of sailing to Italy, possibly to reach Gibril in Abruzzo. Since then, and as time passed, he had only received scattered information concerning his brothers.

Gibril’s breathless wait and hope came to an end last Thursday when a compatriot contacted him to inform him that his brother and nephew were no longer alive and had died at sea. A boat with 86 people on board that had left Zuara, Libya, 48 hours ago drowned owing to strong seas. 61 people were killed, while 25 were able to return to Tripoli.

Among the survivors were Gibril Darboe’s acquaintances, who phoned him to inform him that his 19-year-old brother and his 21-year-old nephew, the son of another brother, had died. The news came to him while he was working at the shop of Francesco Paglia, who is also a councilor in the Municipality of Pescasseroli.

Paglia found Gibril in tears. «I am in a lot of agony; I am destroyed,» the young Gambian informed his Center colleagues. I lost my mother in October, and now my brother and cousin. I’ve endured three huge setbacks in three months. I can’t even think about it because it’s too difficult.” In April, another of his brothers perished in one of the numerous boats of hope.

Every day, hundreds of people drown in the Mediterranean while attempting to reach the European beaches. People are frequently only able to hear an echo of the tragedies that occur in the water.

The Municipality of Pescasseroli sent Gibril a condolence message, saying, “This time, the tragedy affects us directly as a community.” On behalf of everyone, we wish to convey our sympathy to Gibril Darboe, a long-time neighbor who lost a brother and nephew while crossing the Mediterranean. “Our hearts go out to him and his family,” the note says.

“I thank the Pescasseroli community, which is close to me at the moment,” Gibril said as he expressed his gratitude for the support he has received.