At 5:00 am on a windy weekend morning, 257 people went to sea onboard an old and unseaworthy boat from Janzour, 15 km west of the Libyan capital, Tripoli. They were heading for the Italian island of Lampedusa on a smuggler's boat. Twelve hours later 21 of them were in a Libyan centre for irregular migrants, the rest were dead. Here, the stories of two of the survivors, including an unaccompanied minor, is told to IOM's Michele Bombassei.

Bilal is 15.  He left his country, Gambia, eight months ago together with a friend. In his mind is Italy and the dream of a good salary and a nice house to live in. With 35,000 Gambia Dalasi in his pocket, the equivalent of USD 1,300, he crosses Senegal, Mali, Niger before finally entering Libya. The first part of the journey is easy – the same language, no need for a visa, regular means of transportation. But when he leaves Agadez, in the north-east of Niger and a gateway to the Sahara, things suddenly become tough.

Traveling on a truck, he crosses the desert, following the ancient route that once was the exclusive domain of Tuaregs and Berbers: Dirkou, Gatroum and finally Sabha, in the south-west of Libya. The last part of the trip is not as wild as the other stages but it can be equally dangerous. Bilal travels the 800 km from Sabha to Tripoli in the back of a van, hidden under some things after paying nearly USD 80 to reach the northern edge of Africa.

Once in Tripoli, Bilal moves alone. He finds a place in a room to be shared with another 15 people. Another USD 80 for the rent. Thanks to some petty jobs like washing cars and painting, Bilal manages in just four months to collect and save another USD 1,200. For him and others like him, Libya is the promised land. He, as a 15-year-old boy without any support and unable to speak Arabic saves the equivalent of one year's salary in Gambia in just four months in Libya.

With his money in the pocket and on a Thursday in March, Bilal moves into a building outside Tripoli where he meets hundreds of other Bilals…

Kune, from the Ivory Coast, is 24 and used to be a taxi driver. He left his country and his wife and children nine months ago, following his brother-in-law's advice: "Come to Libya, plenty of work, plenty of money".

For three months, Kune keeps travelling: from Ivory Coast, to Burkina Faso, Niger and finally Libya. He spends all the money he was able to collect from his parents and family – 350,000 CFA – the equivalent of 500 Euro, to cross the desert and eventually join his brother.

Just like Bilal, the trip from Sabha to Tripoli is one of the most dangerous stages of the journey. The police know that some Libyans are eager to gain easy money by charging about USD 95 to provide irregular migrants a lift in their vehicles. So they check all the vans and pick-ups they can. Kune does the 800 km journey hidden under a towel in the back of a pick-up. In Tripoli, he finally meets his brother-in-law who helps him to find a job and a place to sleep.

After six months in Tripoli, they seize the opportunity and decide to cross the Mediterranean. Kune hasn't yet raised enough money to pay the smuggler but his brother-in-law covers what he hasn't got.

Bilal and Kune exchange terrified glances for the first time around 9:00 am on that stormy weekend morning. They grasp the floating prow of a sinking boat, 30 miles from land. There had been no SOS sent. There was no food or anything to drink – only the cold winter sea water. Seven hours later, they are lucky. They are rescued together with other 19 people by a Libyan vessel. For the other 236 people, including the smuggler, things were different.

I sit in the middle of them. Kune, to my right, speaks French.  He speaks loudly and is keen on reporting his story. To my left, Bilal is whispering in English. He is shy and scared. When he finds out I am Italian, his face brightens and he starts naming the Italian soccer players he knows.

When Kune understands what Bilal is saying, he starts shaking his head and says: "les enfants…avec tous les problems il a, il pense au foot… (Ah children…with all the problems he has, he is thinking of football….)"