‘Where are my wife and daughter?’ says Lampedusa tragedy survivor

It's a hot October day - the like of which only a country like Malta can offer. The atmosphere at the Hal Far open centre is quiet, as small groups of men and women sit huddled quietly together on the grounds in the sun, eating their lunch.

The younger ones walk around, hands tucked into pockets and listening to music on their mobile phones or MP4 players.

A number of the migrants at the open centre are Syrian asylum seekers who were brought to Malta on Saturday morning. Among them are Mohammed Al Chami, 34, and his daughter Lamar, aged 5.

The father and daughter had left Libya on Thursday, together with the mother, Taghrid Muhriz, and Lamar's twin sister, Sham.

They were on the same boat that was shipwrecked in the Maltese search and rescue region - a tragic incident that has claimed the life of at least 30 persons.

But while Mohammed and Lamar were brought to Malta, there has so far been no news of Taghrid and Sham.

We have not published photos of the children and of the mother, upon request of Mohammed's sister-in-law. Both mother and daughter have almond-shaped brown eyes and brown hair. Taghrid is 33 years old and pregnant.

Taghrid's sister and brother, who live in Norway, have embarked on a frantic search for the mother and daughter, and have remained in constant contact with Mohammed ever since.

I meet Mohammed and Lamar in one of the rooms at the open centre. The room is shabby and too warm, and a security officer, who also acts as a translator, offers to bring in a fan. There is only one chair, and the little one and myself sit on the windowsill.

As we wait, Lamar keeps looking up and smiling at her father, who in turn pats her head and holds her hand. Despite what she has endured, the little girl is full of energy and is a source of hope for her heartbroken father.

"I don't want anything from this life except to see my wife and my daughter. My wife is my fire... my eyes. And I can feel that she is still alive," he tells me, the tears starting to well up.

And he starts recounting his journey - paying $2,300 to flee Libya and saving Lamar's life at sea.

The Al Chamis fled the war-torn country of Syria in search of a better life for their children. For three months they lived in Libya, until an opportunity to leave the country cropped up.

To get on board the ship, the asylum seekers had to walk into the sea, the water reaching up to their necks. The trip itself was tense, as Libyan military vessels kept coming and going until the ship got out of Libya's territorial waters.

"They started shooting at us, scaring the women and children, who started screaming," Mohammed says, adding that three people had also been hit.

But because of the shooting, the ship started taking in water.

"I remember we started firing flares so someone would notice us, and at that point, a helicopter spotted us."

He adds that two hours passed between the time the helicopter spotted them and the Italian and Maltese search and rescue vessels reaching them.

"As the boat started taking in more water, it started tilting on its sides. I grabbed my daughters and wife and put their lifejackets on. I dove into the sea and turned around to face them and told them to lean on me so that I could take them off the ship."

As the ship kept taking in more water, the solution was to get them off the boat before it capsized. But as he was holding Lamar, the ship capsized and he lost sight of Taghrid and Sham.

At the same time, Lamar started to choke, having swallowed large amounts of water. In the sea, the father tried mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, and after a while his daughter started coughing and opened her eyes.

"I held her tight to me but there was no sight of my wife and my other daughter. I don't want anything from this world but to hold them again," Mohammed repeats.

On Monday, Lamar was shown a picture of a girl who was rescued and taken to Lampedusa. The little girl believes it was a picture of her own sister.

Except for that, the two have heard no other news. Taghrid's brother has now flown to Italy in hope of finding his sister and niece. It appears that the rescued migrants in Lampedusa have been taken to different hospitals.

Meanwhile, Mohammed and his family - like several others seeking asylum - anxiously wait for news of their loved ones.