BBC Trending: From a suspected smuggler’s TikTok to tragedy
The Documentary Podcast

BBC Trending: From a suspected smuggler’s TikTok to tragedy

Apr 30, 2025
21:20
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About this episode

In January a boat carrying migrants across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe was miraculously rescued by a fishing trawler after two weeks lost at sea. At least 20 people died from starvation, dehydration and hypothermia. Many of those on the boat - Pakistani men - were promised safe, legal routes to Europe by the smugglers but that was far from their reality. BBC Trending tracks the digital footprint of one of the suspected smugglers wanted for deaths on this very migrant boat. On TikTok, trivial videos depict his lifestyle - one of money, nice restaurants and a lot of travel. But these videos reveal much more about the smuggler’s operations. Presenter/producer: Reha Kansara and Shruti Menon Producer: Mohammad Zubair Khan

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Episode Details

Author
BBC World Service
Show Type
full
Audio Format
audio/mpeg

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