An unknown toddler and a boy survived only by his younger brother were laid to rest yesterday at the Paola mosque, three weeks after they drowned off Lampedusa.

Mohamed Fateh al Sayed Mahmud, seven, from Damascus, looked on unaware that he was attending the burial of his 11-year-old brother, Said al Sayed Mahmud.

Mohamed Fateh is living at a children’s home in Fgura and yesterday was the only relative of the young boy who died in the tragedy on October 11.

The boys’ parents and sister are still missing and the Muslim community in Malta is in touch with their uncle in Egypt who is trying to come over to see his surviving nephew.

It is morally unacceptable not to help these persecuted people

The identity of the other boy buried yesterday remains unknown. He is believed to be about three or four years old.

Prayers were said as the two white coffins were carried into the mosque and when the tiny bodies wrapped in white linen were later buried in a spot behind the mosque.

Among those present was a Syrian man who lost his children and wife in the same tragedy.

Two children and a 25-year-old woman who also died in the shipwreck were buried on October 26.

More than 50 people – and possibly up to 200 – died on October 11 when many others were saved by Maltese and Italian forces.

On that day, a boat full of Syrian and Palestinian migrants capsized after taking in water 60 miles south of Lampedusa. The Armed Forces of Malta rescued 143 migrants and 56 were taken to the Italian island.

Survivors who spoke to this newspaper said that as the boat started taking in water at about midday, they called the Italian authorities on a satellite phone asking for help. No help appeared and about two hours after their call the Italian authorities told them to contact Malta because they were in Maltese waters, they said.

Three men who spoke to the Italian news magazine l’Espresso said the same thing. In an article published online, journalist Fabrizio Gatti said three calls were made to the Italian authorities and, after two hours, they were told to contact the Maltese authorities. The “death of 268 Syrians who drowned on October 11 could have been avoided”, the article said.

When asked about these reports, the Italian Infrastructure Ministry and the Lampedusa mayor told this newspaper to speak to the Italian Coastguard but attempts to contact a spokesman were futile.

A spokeswoman said the Lampedusa mayor did not have any role in or jurisdiction over search and rescue operations. “With regard to the October 11 shipwreck, we are following the press investigations as well as the results of official inquiries,” she added.

Questions were also sent to the AFM but these were still unanswered at the time of writing.

The Home Affairs Ministry was asked whether it investigated the reports about the call to the Italian authorities, whether the Italian authorities had informed their Maltese counterparts about the call for help and whether they were expected to do so.

A spokeswoman said the AFM “immediately deployed all its assets when it received the information that a boat needed an urgent rescue operation.

“They acted in line with international obligations as has always been the case.”

Imam Mohammed Elsadi, who led the prayers at the mosque, called on international communities to help by imposing a no-fly zone.

“Unfortunately, it seems the international communities don’t care and are indifferent to the Syrian tragedy,” he said.

For the past two years, Syrians have been hoping for international help similar to that received by the Libyans, he said.

“I am surprised because it would be morally unacceptable not to help these persecuted people.”