A speeding migrant boat carrying 14 men struck a 17-year-old girl swimming off Su Giudeu Beach in Sardinia on 16 August, leaving her with multiple fractures and unconscious in the water, before continuing towards the shore rather than stopping to help. Footage of the incident has caused shock in Italy, and it comes amid a wider pattern of violent confrontations linked to migrant crossings in Europe this year, intensifying scrutiny of small-boat traffic across the Mediterranean.

The teenager, who was on holiday and has not been named, was pulled from the water by beachgoers and airlifted to intensive care in Cagliari, though her condition has since improved and she has been moved out of intensive care. A 16-year-old boy swimming alongside her said he dodged the boat but disputed suggestions those aboard had not realised they hit her, saying they "stopped, looked at us and ran away." A 28-year-old Algerian man alleged to have been steering the boat has been arrested on suspicion of facilitating illegal immigration and causing serious injury, while the rest of the group, believed to be undocumented Algerian men, were tracked down by police after fleeing on foot at Tuerredda Beach.