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LAMPEDUSA, Italy: Italian authorities on Friday were trying to identify the bodies of 27 people who died when two crowded boats sank off the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa.
One wooden coffin, marked with an “X,” could be seen at the local cemetery, where the bodies of some of the victims were being held, an AFP journalist said.
Broadcaster Rai reported that some of the coffins would be transported to Sicily for burial in several cemeteries there.
Lampedusa, just 90 miles (145 kilometers) off the coast of Tunisia, is often the first point of arrival for people trying to reach Europe in fragile or overcrowded boats.
Its reception center is currently home to 317 people, including about 70 mostly unaccompanied minors, said Giovanna Stabile of the Italian Red Cross, which runs the facility.
Most of them come from Egypt, Somalia and Bangladesh, she added.
Of the 60 survivors of Wednesday’s capsizing disaster, 58 were at the center. The two others were airlifted by helicopter to Sicily for treatment, she said.
“Last night, the procedures for identifying the bodies began,” said Stabile.
“This was a delicate moment, which was supported by the psychologist, the linguistic-cultural mediator and the multidisciplinary team,” she said.
“People reacted to the identification in a very composed manner.”
For some, however, it was too much.
One Somali teenager, in tears, identified a girl, his cousin, among the dead. “It can’t be! It can’t be!” he kept repeating, ANSA news agency reported.
The 27 victims, including three minors, died when two crowded boats heading from Libya capsized about 20 kilometers off Lampedusa.
The UN refugee agency said the boats were carrying at least 95 people. Italian news agency ANSA said 100 to 110 people may have been on board, meaning up to 23 could still be unaccounted for.
On Thursday, the Italian coast guard published a video of the rescue operation, showing young men desperately trying to cling to a floating rescue cylinder in the water.
The somber scene at the reception center was in stark contrast to elsewhere on the island, as throngs of tourists enjoyed Friday’s Ferragosto public holiday.
At the port, where dozens of migrants were still arriving by boat at the port, pleasure craft were bringing back tourists from sea trips to the sound of festive music.
At the cemetery, women came to pray and leave flowers for those who lost their lives, while a vigil in memory of the dead was held at a local Catholic shrine.
“Migrants continue to arrive... our arms are always open but when these deaths occur, it hurts us deeply,” one local woman, who gave her name only as Angela, told AFP.

RIYADH: AlUla Desert Blaze, an annual race, kicked off again this year on Friday with over 500 runners from various countries taking up the challenge. 

The event is held over two days and is open to all levels of runners, from professionals to amateurs. Four race distances — 5 km, 10 km, 21.1 km (half marathon), and 42.2 km (full marathon) — take the competitors through AlUla’s dramatic landscapes, from sand dunes to historical landmarks. 

For 42-year-old Mohammed Dakhil, AlUla holds a special place in his heart as it is where he had his first 50 km ultramarathon trail run in 2023.

“That was the first time I ever got to experience running in the landscape of AlUla and just seeing the natural beauty of it. Any opportunity I get to come and run is something that I always look forward to, because for some reason, it’s the one place that really allows me to disconnect and feel like I can really connect with myself and be present when I’m running,” he told Arab News. 

Dakhil will take part in the race on Saturday. The courses begin at Hegra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, while the full marathon route passes near the Maraya building and other prominent AlUla sites.

As a regular runner and chief operating officer of the gym chain N2Fitness, Dakhil is a dedicated trainer — whether endurance, strength, or functional training. For him, running is more mental than physical. “In terms of actual marathon running, the 42 km distance, during my training, I would take the distances up to 21 km, 25 km, and so on. So that enables me to be able to do the distance comfortably,” he said. 

Distance runners frequently hit a mental block that hinders the body’s capacity to continue under pain and pressure — this is where the “real training” happens to prepare for such races. 

“No matter how much physical training I do, to get through a marathon and to do it in a positive way, a big part of it is really more mental than people think,” Dakhil said. 

“What attracts me to this is I still get to see the beautiful landscape of AlUla, but it presents a different challenge, and that challenge is that it’s extremely hot. To really see how far I can go and I can withstand and continue to push through the summer heat while under the sun is a different challenge of its own. And, honestly, that’s something that I love doing. I just love pushing myself to the limit.”

�������� launched its first official marathon in 2022 and is committed to expanding the fitness scene, so it comes as no surprise that the annual marathon attracts international participation. 

“I feel very proud every year as a Saudi to see these events being hosted in Saudi and to see, year over year, how the community grows, and the amount of people that come to these events grows,” Dakhil said.

“We notice it. And the best part about it is that you see people from all around the world, and it really makes us proud.”

The race takes place in the same month as Dakhil’s birthday — an opportunity he takes to celebrate the occasion and achieve a new goal. 

Lebanese American competitor Ali Younes also shares a birthday in August. The run is partly a celebration, but also a chance to give back to the place where his running journey began. Younes started taking running more seriously when he moved to the Kingdom a year ago and joined the running community We Run. 

“Everybody that comes to this group, sometimes (starting) from scratch, has found their way and path to develop, and they found the support from the coaches and even from the running mates,” he said.

Younes has lived in several countries due to his job in the UN, but said that “I haven’t seen such a supportive community in any other place.”

He spent four months preparing for the race, and also plans to run the Chicago Marathon in October.

Younes, who trains with the We Run group and his personal coach Hadeel Ashour, said that running is also “about nutrition, hydrating your body, sleeping well, and mental toughness.”  

He added: “Running is always easy to do. If you want to run, run a 1 km, but if you really want to experience life with all its ups and downs and challenges, you need to run a marathon.”

While the summer heat might discourage some, especially in the midst of the desert, the runners said that the challenge will only add to the satisfaction of finishing their races. 

Aghiad Massarani, who also began running two years ago after joining We Run, has been training for the past six weeks for AlUla Desert Blaze. “I’ve done a mix of speed sessions, long runs, and heat runs. I even did a couple of afternoon runs to help my body adapt to the climate,” he said. 

The race takes place amid AlUla’s diverse natural landscapes, offering participants an exceptional sporting experience in a destination that celebrates the beauty of nature and the spirit of community and adventure.

The race is considered one of the key events in the AlUla Moments calendar activities held throughout the year, allowing visitors and participants the opportunity to explore the rich natural and historical landmarks of the region.