January 9, 2004 - a dinghy full of drowning clandestines calls for help live on "Top Channel" television. Help arrives late. 21 people were found dead from the cold. Seven others disappeared never to be found.
There were 39 people on board, in a raft which had the capacity for only 6 people. The boat is thought to have left around 19:00 at the place called Palasa Stream and was able to travel only 30 minutes in difficult weather conditions.
Then their engines were turned off and they were left in waves up to 6 meters high at a distance of 4 miles from Karaburuni.
Despite the fact that the event was made public immediately and the authorities were alerted by launching a rescue operation, the raft was found only the next day, at 09:30 in the morning. There were 11 survivors on board, including two boatmen and 20 dead bodies. 8 others turned out to be missing. Their bodies have not been found to this day.
Nikollë Mhilli, president of the association of victims of January 9, lost his son on this deadly journey. He says that he decided to put his son on that raft, for which he paid 1,500 euros, after they had received guarantees that the trip would be made with the knowledge of the police.
"The realtor tells me how to start that we have this safe job, we have it with the state not to step on water." We will start with the Guardia di Finanza"
"We will take you safely. From that day to this day, I have not found a mark or a mole." said Ndoc Bjeshka, family member.
The last phone call with his son is one of Nikola's greatest hostages.
"At 6 o'clock, in the evening when the night got dark, that guy called me on the phone. I thought, can you go back? But I thought, don't let them kill me completely and I didn't tell him, he turned back... I told him, "God help me, even after an hour and a half, I saw him on TV." said Nikollë Mhilli, a family member.
In order not to be noticed by the police, the boaters have removed any distinguishing marks of the dinghy, such as the phosphorescent strips, an action that proved fatal. This is because the witnesses saw the ships and the helicopter approaching, but they were not able to signal.