Maaruuf Alsaid Mahmoud embraces his nephew, Fateh, at Malta International Airport yesterday. Photos: Jason Borg

Six-year-old Fateh, a Syrian boy who lost his parents, his sister and his brother in the boat tragedy off Lampedusa two months ago, was yesterday reunited with his uncle in Malta.

There was no emotional drama as Maaruuf Alsaid Mahmoud spotted his nephew at the arrivals’ lounge following his flight from Egypt.

But there was relief etched on the uncle’s face as he hugged little Fateh.

His eyes welling up, Mr Mahmoud ruffled his nephew’s hair and they both whispered in each other’s ear.

Speaking to the media through an interpreter, Mr Mahmoud said: “This tragedy was a terrible one. I lost my brother, my sister-in-law, my niece and nephew. He’s the only one I have now and consider him as my very own son.”

Fateh had last seen his uncle, his father’s brother, some five months ago in Cairo.

Mr Mahmoud, his wife and five children, had settled in Egypt.

But Fateh’s parents decided to move on to Libya, from where the family of five caught a boat for the fatal voyage in October.

An estimated 260 migrants, including many children, drowned 60 miles southeast of Lampedusa after their nine-metre fishing boat capsized. In a joint rescue effort between Malta and Italy, 212 asylum seekers were rescued.

He’s the only one I have now and consider him as my very own son

Fateh was the only survivor of the Alsaid Mahmoud family.

Interpreter Omar Adam, who coordinated the reunion, said the boy rarely talks about that fateful day. When asked, he recalls the boat capsizing, and how he found himself in the sea.

Fateh says he tried to hang on to another migrant’s shoulder because he was finding it hard to stay afloat, but the man shrugged him off as he feared he would pull him down.

Scared, the little boy then swam over to another man.

That man was Firas Hadad, and for hours he let the little boy cling on to his shoulders until the rescue boat came over.

“He saved his life and the boy knows it because till they landed in Malta he would not let go of his hand.”

Mr Hadad was present at the airport reunion yesterday and the six-year-old could be seen chatting away and laughing and jostling with the young man while waiting for his uncle.

The boy, who has been living in a children’s home in Fgura, has not yet been told his parents and sister are missing and that his brother was found dead and has been buried in Paola.

“We are following the advice of the social services. The boy has been through a trauma.

“It will be better for him if the horrible news is broken to him by a member of his family,” said Mr Adam.

Mr Mahmoud spotted his nephew following a call for recognition of the boat survivors on Facebook and he immediately established contact with the Maltese authorities.

For the past two months, he has spoken to Fateh every day over the phone and Skype.

Once he got all the documents cleared up and submitted proof he was a true relative, the arrangements for his visit were made.

He hopes to eventually take him back with him to Egypt.

Mr Mahmoud and Fateh’s father together with their spouses and children lived together in Syria up to a year and a half ago, when they decided to flee the war-torn country.

Meanwhile, L’Espresso newspaper reported that the drowning of many Syrian children in the Lampedusa tragedy was the result of “passing the buck”.

It said the Italian navy frigate Libra was only a few miles from the site of the tragedy but was not engaged in rescue operations for hours.

L’Espresso claimed that the first call for help had reached the Coast Guard in Rome, which in turn alerted the Maltese authorities, even though the Italians were closer to the site of the shipwreck.

“We acted in compliance with international agreements,” the Italian authorities were quoted as saying.

kchetcuti@timesofmalta.com