Ghost Boat: The TLDR version
In June 2014, at least 243 refugees went missing during a boat journey from Libya to Italy. Many were women and children from the repressive African country of Eritrea, including Segen, 24, and her toddler Abi. Segen’s husband Yafet spoke to her the night before her departure, but he hasn’t heard from her since.
In fact, there’s no sign at all of the boat or any of the other passengers — but there are clues, like strange phone calls and messages.
Medium and the team at Matter have launched an open investigation to find out what happened to Segen, Abi, and all the others who disappeared without a trace.
Over the next two months in Serial-esque fashion, we’ll release new episodes exploring the possibilities of what happened. We’ll also share data, records, and other information that offer clues.
A team of international journalists is working to piece together the evidence, but the search depends on you — the public is helping with everything from scouring satellite maps to translating court documents.
Intrigued? Learn more.
Read the full story
- Understand the story in the first episode.
- Could they have made it to Italy? Find out in episode two.
Dig through the evidence
- Building a timeline
- Creating a log of boat incidents in the Mediterranean
- Hunting the human traffickers
