The adoptive parents of Blessing, the girl who lost her family at sea five years ago, have asked the Italian courts to reopen the investigation into claims that they drowned due to the coastguard’s negligence.

Audrey and Saed Al Ghahes, the adoptive parents of Blessing who is now six, are claiming that the captain of the Italian coastguard’s ship tried to hide the fact that during the immigrant rescue operation – on June 10, 2008 – about 14 people died, including Blessing’s parents and brother.

They have in hand evidence of immigrants who survived and are claiming that the small fibreglass boat they were on capsized when it was hit by the ladder of the Italian rescue boat.

Read the full story in The Sunday Times of Malta, on the e-paper, or on timesofmalta.com here.

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