MALACCA: One of the 12 Pakistani survivors of Greece ship incident released from the camp in Malacca, Mohammad Hamza told BBC Urdu there was no food, water or toilet facility available in the ship’s hold, and several of those who were forced to stay down there frequently fainted or experienced sea sickness.

Hamza had also said there were no women in the section he was seated in, but he did see two children between the ages of 10 and 12. He estimated that there were around 350 Pakistanis on board.

He had narrated how they would ask for help from passing ships. “A cargo ship threw water and cake onto our boat and moved ahead, while we screamed ‘Help! Help!’ at the top of our lungs. Other passenger boats also provided us with small amounts of water and food, however, the help we needed was not provided to us,” he said.

He related how the boat’s engine stopped working around 30 minutes before it went under. “I luckily got a hold of a bottle which guided me to some distance, and then I grabbed a tube that was also held by Syrian and Egyptian survivors. We kept swimming in the open sea for about 40-45 minutes before we were rescued by a speed boat,” he told BBC Urdu.

Hamza had also revealed there was no captain on the ship. “Every time we tried to ask the human traffickers, they assured us that they have asked for help from Italian authorities who were aware of the boat’s location.