BBC Trending: From a suspected smuggler’s TikTok to tragedy

The Documentary Podcast

BBC

Society & Culture, Documentary, Personal Journals

4.3 • 2.6K Ratings

🗓️ 30 April 2025

⏱️ 21 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In January a boat carrying migrants across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe was miraculously rescued by a fishing trawler after two weeks lost at sea. At least 20 people died from starvation, dehydration and hypothermia. Many of those on the boat - Pakistani men - were promised safe, legal routes to Europe by the smugglers but that was far from their reality.

BBC Trending tracks the digital footprint of one of the suspected smugglers wanted for deaths on this very migrant boat. On TikTok, trivial videos depict his lifestyle - one of money, nice restaurants and a lot of travel. But these videos reveal much more about the smuggler’s operations.

Presenter/producer: Reha Kansara and Shruti Menon Producer: Mohammad Zubair Khan

Transcript

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0:00.0	In January this year, a tragedy took place on a small fishing boat carrying 86 people across the Atlantic Ocean.
0:15.5	The boat which was making its way to the Canary Islands from Mauritania, was overfilled with migrants, all of their men,
0:23.5	who had bought this illegal and dangerous route
0:26.1	from smugglers from their hometowns in Pakistan.
0:29.5	The reality was far from what they had been promised,
0:33.3	safe and legal routes to Europe.
0:43.4	From the day we set sail to the last ring we were rescued,
0:46.2	we were constantly scooping water out of the boat.
0:47.9	It used to take an hour.
0:51.4	According to the International Organization for Migration,
0:57.7	15 dead bodies were found on board, and 35 people are still missing at sea.
1:04.7	And the survivors, they've recounted horrific circumstances where their lives hung in limbo.
1:13.4	We thought we were going to reach that evening. but that day passed and then the next day passed.
1:19.2	People began drinking seawater and after drinking it, people became delirious.
1:26.1	As we spoke to the families of those who died and those who survived, it became clear to us that despite initial reports that the boat had capsized,
1:30.1	it hadn't. But those aboard had suffered immensely.
1:34.2	The water was very cold and deadly.
1:38.7	What should have been a three-day journey turned into at least 14 days at sea in a small wooden boat exposed to the
1:46.4	Atlantic Ocean's harsh elements. So who sold these men this particular route?
1:54.5	I'm Rahakansara and I'm Shrithi Menin and with BBC trending, this is, from a smuggler's TikTok to tragedy
2:03.6	on the documentary from the BBC World Service.
2:11.8	Our first point of call was to talk to as many Pakistani men who were on the boat as possible.
	...

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