Footage captured the moment a migrant boat collided with a teenage swimmer off the coast of Italy, leaving the 17-year-old tourist with serious injuries. The vessel was pictured approaching then striking the girl as it neared Su Giudeu Beach in Sardinia on August 16.
Boat sped away after collision
The footage showed the boat not stopping to help her, but speeding away to the shoreline. The teenager was knocked out and left unconscious, with other beach visitors rushing to her aid, The Sun reports. She was airlifted to a hospital in the region's capital city of Cagliari, where she received intensive care, and her condition is thought to have since improved.
Suspect arrested
A 28-year-old Algerian man who was allegedly driving the boat has been arrested on suspicion of facilitating illegal immigration and causing extremely serious bodily injury. A 16-year-old boy who was in the water when the incident occurred told local media that he only narrowly managed to escape being hit himself.
He said: "I was with her, I moved out of the way and saved myself."
"After the impact, they stopped, looked at us and ran away," he added. "It's not true that they didn't realise what had happened."
Others onboard tracked down
Others onboard, thought to also be Algerian men, reportedly tried to flee on foot after landing on the Italian beach, but were all tracked down by authorities.
