COMIC: I survived the capsizing of the Adriana, which sank off the coast of Greece while the world was transfixed on the Titan sub

Anthony Del Col,Abdullah Hadia,Josh AdamsJan 15, 2024, 20:49 IST

Josh Adams

In June, the world's attention was rapt, as a submersible that escorted wealthy customers to see the sunken Titanic disappeared with five souls on board.

In the Mediterranean, a different horror was unfolding — a fishing trawler converted to transport migrants out of Libya capsized off the coast of Greece, claiming hundreds of lives in one of the deadliest recent incidents in the unfolding humanitarian disaster in the Mediterranean.

Business Insider interviewed survivors of the sinking of the Adriana, and after several interviews adapted the experiences, photographs, and testimony of one man, a Syrian immigrant named Mohammad Lheman, into this comic. It takes you where news cameras cannot go, into the sprawling underground world of smugglers, the reckless treatment of human life, and through a harrowing ordeal in the waters of the Mediterranean that most did not survive.

My name is Mohammad Lheman. I was born in Palestine but raised in Syria. When I was four and five years old we would go to the swimming pool in the summer all the time. It was a joyful thing. My father taught me how to swim. It was magnificent. I loved being in the water

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My name is Mohammad Lheman. I was born in Palestine but raised in Syria. When I was four and five years old we would go to the swimming pool in the summer all the time. It was a joyful thing. My father taught me how to swim. It was magnificent. I loved being in the water

2022. Damascus, Syria. I worked as a barber in a luxury salon. I enjoyed it but the hours killed me. I worked fourteen hours a day. I had Mondays off and took agricultural engineering classes at university. It wasn’t my favorite subject but because I was working most of the time I didn’t get the marks I needed for other programs. The quality of life was horrible. Often no water. No electricity. I had an obligation to join the army, but I didn’t want to. My younger cousin Hamza and I would see each other at night. He was a lifeguard at the local pool. Sometimes my older cousin Abdulrahman would join us. They didn’t want to join the army either. So we decided we wanted to get out. Go to Europe. I had a cousin in the Netherlands and decided that’s where I would go. My father sold the upstairs of the house to get us out. We found a smuggler in Libya who would help us get to Europe through Italy. I paid $1,500. It was glorious to leave Syria.

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2022. Damascus, Syria. I worked as a barber in a luxury salon. I enjoyed it but the hours killed me. I worked fourteen hours a day. I had Mondays off and took agricultural engineering classes at university. It wasn’t my favorite subject but because I was working most of the time I didn’t get the marks I needed for other programs. The quality of life was horrible. Often no water. No electricity. I had an obligation to join the army, but I didn’t want to. My younger cousin Hamza and I would see each other at night. He was a lifeguard at the local pool. Sometimes my older cousin Abdulrahman would join us. They didn’t want to join the army either. So we decided we wanted to get out. Go to Europe. I had a cousin in the Netherlands and decided that’s where I would go. My father sold the upstairs of the house to get us out. We found a smuggler in Libya who would help us get to Europe through Italy. I paid $1,500. It was glorious to leave Syria.

We arrived in Libya. Paid a man to get us to our smuggler. A taxi cab drove us to the smuggler. We paid him. Most smugglers are Syrians working in Libya under other smugglers. The smuggler drove us for six hours to his home. Nineteen of us stayed in his basement. And then they moved us to another house. And another house. And another. And another. One day we were taken to the desert and lost. We were told we had to pay $10 to get us back. They told us we weren’t allowed to leave the house. We would be threatened every day. Told they would burn the house and keep us in there. It was sixty days of this.

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We arrived in Libya. Paid a man to get us to our smuggler. A taxi cab drove us to the smuggler. We paid him. Most smugglers are Syrians working in Libya under other smugglers. The smuggler drove us for six hours to his home. Nineteen of us stayed in his basement. And then they moved us to another house. And another house. And another. And another. One day we were taken to the desert and lost. We were told we had to pay $10 to get us back. They told us we weren’t allowed to leave the house. We would be threatened every day. Told they would burn the house and keep us in there. It was sixty days of this.

June 10, 2023. 1:00am. They took me from the house to the coast. I asked the smuggler to buy me some nausea medicine. Paid him $20. It didn’t work. I vomited as soon as I was in the small boat. The boat looked old. The wood was rotten. It was damaged. The boat had a capacity of 300 people. They stuffed 747 people on this boat.

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June 10, 2023. 1:00am. They took me from the house to the coast. I asked the smuggler to buy me some nausea medicine. Paid him $20. It didn’t work. I vomited as soon as I was in the small boat. The boat looked old. The wood was rotten. It was damaged. The boat had a capacity of 300 people. They stuffed 747 people on this boat.

The boat was three levels. The standard level was where you boarded. A hole would take you down the bottom level. A freezer. It’s where the fish would be stored. It smelled badly. I vomited on my way down and I refused to go down. They wanted to hit me and punch me to go down. I paid them $40. They took me upstairs. We were the first people to get there. Upper deck: Approximately two hundred and fifty people. All paid extra to be up there. Mainly Syrians and Egyptians. Middle deck. Two hundred people. Women and children. Bottom level. Two hundred people. Mainly Pakistanis

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The boat was three levels. The standard level was where you boarded. A hole would take you down the bottom level. A freezer. It’s where the fish would be stored. It smelled badly. I vomited on my way down and I refused to go down. They wanted to hit me and punch me to go down. I paid them $40. They took me upstairs. We were the first people to get there. Upper deck: Approximately two hundred and fifty people. All paid extra to be up there. Mainly Syrians and Egyptians. Middle deck. Two hundred people. Women and children. Bottom level. Two hundred people. Mainly Pakistanis

June 10 and 11 Day One and Day Two. I had brought some food and water in my bag but the smugglers took it away from me before I boarded. Said they needed the extra room. During the day it was hot. The sun would beat down on us. At night it was freezing. My cousin Hamza was only a meter away from me. He was getting weak. My cousin Abdulrahman was also by me. I snuck in a Snickers bar in my pocket. I tried not to eat it. To save it. But after two days I needed to eat something.

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June 10 and 11 Day One and Day Two. I had brought some food and water in my bag but the smugglers took it away from me before I boarded. Said they needed the extra room. During the day it was hot. The sun would beat down on us. At night it was freezing. My cousin Hamza was only a meter away from me. He was getting weak. My cousin Abdulrahman was also by me. I snuck in a Snickers bar in my pocket. I tried not to eat it. To save it. But after two days I needed to eat something.

June 12 and 13. Day Three and Day Four. On the third day there was no more water. People were so desperate they started to drink unfiltered engine water. Really dirty stuff. Some were drinking urine. We could hear the moaning and suffering below us. Help us! We need water! We’re dying! My child is dying!! People started fainting. Passing out. People starting fighting. We realized we were completely lost.

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June 12 and 13. Day Three and Day Four. On the third day there was no more water. People were so desperate they started to drink unfiltered engine water. Really dirty stuff. Some were drinking urine. We could hear the moaning and suffering below us. Help us! We need water! We’re dying! My child is dying!! People started fainting. Passing out. People starting fighting. We realized we were completely lost.

June 14. Day Five. One of the Syrian men took his satellite phone and started calling. Reached out to Doctors without Borders. Or the Navy or the Coast Guard of any country. He sent our location to them. They told us we were in Greek waters, not Italian. At around 12 o’clock a helicopter flew above us, taking pictures and videos. And then a few hours later a commercial ship going slowly was near us. We all got to our feet and waved our clothes. Yelled to it. Help us! Over here! Please! The boat called Faithful Warrior came by and threw us water and food on a rope. It was only enough for twenty people. It left. Another commercial ship called Lucky Strike came by a couple hours later. They also threw food and water. We yelled at them asking for them to take us with them. Our boat started to shake. And that’s when our ship’s captain put the engine on the left to get away from the ship.

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June 14. Day Five. One of the Syrian men took his satellite phone and started calling. Reached out to Doctors without Borders. Or the Navy or the Coast Guard of any country. He sent our location to them. They told us we were in Greek waters, not Italian. At around 12 o’clock a helicopter flew above us, taking pictures and videos. And then a few hours later a commercial ship going slowly was near us. We all got to our feet and waved our clothes. Yelled to it. Help us! Over here! Please! The boat called Faithful Warrior came by and threw us water and food on a rope. It was only enough for twenty people. It left. Another commercial ship called Lucky Strike came by a couple hours later. They also threw food and water. We yelled at them asking for them to take us with them. Our boat started to shake. And that’s when our ship’s captain put the engine on the left to get away from the ship.

June 14. Eleven o’clock pm. The Greek Coast Guard ship came at night. It was truly, truly huge. They sent over a rope and it was tied to the front of our boat. It was tied very, very badly. The Coast Guard ship then started pulling us very quickly. Too quickly. It moved to the left and our entire boat lost its balance and tilted to the left. People started yelling at them. Stop! Stop! Stop! The Coast Guard ship stopped.

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June 14. Eleven o’clock pm. The Greek Coast Guard ship came at night. It was truly, truly huge. They sent over a rope and it was tied to the front of our boat. It was tied very, very badly. The Coast Guard ship then started pulling us very quickly. Too quickly. It moved to the left and our entire boat lost its balance and tilted to the left. People started yelling at them. Stop! Stop! Stop! The Coast Guard ship stopped.

But then five seconds later the Coast Guard Ship started again. Our boat started to tip over. And thirty seconds later flipped over into the water. And five minutes later it was gone. Along with hundreds of people trapped inside.

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But then five seconds later the Coast Guard Ship started again. Our boat started to tip over. And thirty seconds later flipped over into the water. And five minutes later it was gone. Along with hundreds of people trapped inside.

It all happened so quickly. I don’t remember seeing Hamza or Abdulrahman. I tried to get onto the bottom of the boat. And then what felt like ten hands were grabbing me. Pulling me into the water.

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It all happened so quickly. I don’t remember seeing Hamza or Abdulrahman. I tried to get onto the bottom of the boat. And then what felt like ten hands were grabbing me. Pulling me into the water.

The scene was horrifying. People around me were screaming. They were dying. I saw someone sinking and I wanted to help. I grabbed him to help him. And I realized he was already dead. The Coast Guard did nothing. They just watched us. I started swimming towards the Coast Guard ship. But I was tired and hungry. Hadn’t had any food or water for six days. I couldn’t reach them. I gave up. I knew I was dying. I turned on my back and started doing my prayers.

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The scene was horrifying. People around me were screaming. They were dying. I saw someone sinking and I wanted to help. I grabbed him to help him. And I realized he was already dead. The Coast Guard did nothing. They just watched us. I started swimming towards the Coast Guard ship. But I was tired and hungry. Hadn’t had any food or water for six days. I couldn’t reach them. I gave up. I knew I was dying. I turned on my back and started doing my prayers.

June 15. 2:30am. Two hours later they finally sent out small motor boats for us. The boat was collecting ten people at a time. I think I was on the fourth motor boat they sent out. I think they had discovered another boat was on its way and wanted to look like they were doing something. They gave us a blanket and some food and water. I was so tired. I vomited. They didn’t pay attention to us. At five o’clock they moved us to a luxury boat, the Myanna that took us to shore. That boat drove us to Kalamata.

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June 15. 2:30am. Two hours later they finally sent out small motor boats for us. The boat was collecting ten people at a time. I think I was on the fourth motor boat they sent out. I think they had discovered another boat was on its way and wanted to look like they were doing something. They gave us a blanket and some food and water. I was so tired. I vomited. They didn’t pay attention to us. At five o’clock they moved us to a luxury boat, the Myanna that took us to shore. That boat drove us to Kalamata.

They confiscated our mobile phones. They were afraid we had taken some pictures or videos of what happened. They brought me to a small room. They interrogated me. From two in the afternoon until eleven at night. I told them everything in order to get some help and find out what happened to Hamza. They told me that the only people rescued were the 104 people on the Coast Guard ship with me. Over six hundred people died. Hamza was one of them. They then gave me a telephone. I called my family. They knew about the boat. Thought that I had died. I had trouble talking.

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They confiscated our mobile phones. They were afraid we had taken some pictures or videos of what happened. They brought me to a small room. They interrogated me. From two in the afternoon until eleven at night. I told them everything in order to get some help and find out what happened to Hamza. They told me that the only people rescued were the 104 people on the Coast Guard ship with me. Over six hundred people died. Hamza was one of them. They then gave me a telephone. I called my family. They knew about the boat. Thought that I had died. I had trouble talking.

I was sent to a camp just outside Athena. I was there for two months. The food was bad. I was treated like a criminal. I was still in shock. Why did this happen? I was offered to become a refugee in Greece. But I didn’t want to stay in a country responsible for the deaths of so many people. So I left for the Netherlands. I’m staying with a cousin. My cousin Abdulrahman visited me there. I don’t know what I want to do next. But I’m happy to be one of the lucky that survived.

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I was sent to a camp just outside Athena. I was there for two months. The food was bad. I was treated like a criminal. I was still in shock. Why did this happen? I was offered to become a refugee in Greece. But I didn’t want to stay in a country responsible for the deaths of so many people. So I left for the Netherlands. I’m staying with a cousin. My cousin Abdulrahman visited me there. I don’t know what I want to do next. But I’m happy to be one of the lucky that survived.

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COMIC: I survived the capsizing of the Adriana, which sank off the coast of Greece while the world was transfixed on the Titan sub

My name is Mohammad Lheman. I was born in Palestine but raised in Syria. When I was four and five years old we would go to the swimming pool in the summer all the time. It was a joyful thing. My father taught me how to swim. It was magnificent. I loved being in the water

But then five seconds later the Coast Guard Ship started again. Our boat started to tip over. And thirty seconds later flipped over into the water. And five minutes later it was gone. Along with hundreds of people trapped inside.

It all happened so quickly. I don’t remember seeing Hamza or Abdulrahman. I tried to get onto the bottom of the boat. And then what felt like ten hands were grabbing me. Pulling me into the water.