A tragedy in which nearly 300 people died in the cold rough sea between Malta and India 20 years ago today is still fresh in the minds of many, and so is the pain, the Times of India reported today.
The young migrants from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh died off Sicily as they were being transferred in a storm from a ship to a boat which was to take them to Sicily. The boat had left from Marsaxlokk.
"Two decades on, families of the disappeared men still hang on to memories and a faint hope that some of them survived and may one day return home," the Times reported.
Two decades on, families of the disappeared men still hang on to memories and a faint hope that some of them survived and may one day return home.
A court case is still pending before a Delhi court. A hearing is due on January 23 but a charge sheet hasn't even been presented.
"For the families in Punjab, there is no closure as they have not yet received the remains of their men and don't know if they are dead or alive," the newspaper said.
Surjit Kaur of Lakhpur lost her 23-year-old son Daljit Singh in the tragedy and now lives with her other son in Canada. She recently called up home from Canada in the hope that perhaps Daljit had returned, the newspaper said.
The boat that left from Marsaxlokk - a former RAF launch - was to take the migrants on their last leg of a long journey to Italy. The ship and the boat reportedly collided, although some claimed the boat was actually rammed.
The Indian prosecution service registered a case against 29 persons in 1997 under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Immigration Act for cheating, forgery and human trafficking. Seven of the accused have since died.
An Italian court sentenced two Italy-based travel agents to 30 years in jail in 2008 for their involvement in the tragedy. A Pakistani living in Malta was also jailed for 30 years.
A Maltese who was among the small boat's crew was among those believed to have perished in the tragedy.