Shipwrecked girl, 11, rescued after drifting alone on makeshift liferaft three days after boat went down

An 11-year-old girl has been rescued after floating for three days alone on a makeshift raft after being shipwrecked.

She is believed to be the only survivor after the boat she was on was destroyed in a wild storm off the Italian island of Lampedusa.

Her rescuers say they discovered her about 3.20am on Thursday after hearing her cries.

“She kept her head above water using two tire tubes and a life jacket. Hearing her cries for help, they pulled her from the water,” a post on the rescue mission read.

“Three days earlier, she had departed from Tunisia on a metal boat more than 40 other people. The boat capsized in waves over 3 meters high. No other survivors were found.”

She was rescued and taken on board the Trotamar III, a ship operated by CompassCollective, a group of activists who support the rescue of refugees in the Mediterranean.

The crew say they were on their way to another emergency when they spotted the girl who comes from Sierra Leone.

The girl was on a steel boat with 45 people that had set off from Sfax in Tunisia when the storm packing 23 knot winds and 3.5m high waves hit.

She told her rescuers that she was in the water with two other passengers but lost contact with them, according to the BBC.

“We assume that she is the only survivor of the shipwreck and that the other 44 people drowned. We are deeply shocked by this,” the Compass Collective wrote in a social media post.

“This morning at 6am we were able to hand over the child to the rescue service on Lampedusa.”

In the post to social media the group accused European governments of prioritising borders over lives, causing the deaths of at least 30,000 people since 2014.

“The number of unreported cases is immeasurable. We stand in solidarity with all people on the move and demand an immediate end to deadly border policies.”