Francesca Matina will always remember her holiday this year on the Italian island of Lampedusa. She was relaxing on a boat enjoying the crystal-clear waters of the sea off the island – the next minute, she saw a small boat, carrying around 50 people, that had crashed into rocks at the Tabaccara. She jumped into the sea to try to help.

'We couldn't let them die at sea'

"There were very difficult moments. The people in the sea were floundering and calling for help. Saving human lives is a very bad and very beautiful experience at the same time. Fortunately, everything went well - but that does not always happen," the 31-year-old said.

A Lampedusa native and daughter of the island's fire squad chief Giacomo Matina, Francesca Matina works in Palermo at a marketing agency. She explained how she managed to save four people, two of them women.

"I was on the boat with my uncle Giacomo and aunt Felicetta and my friend Gonzalo. We were pulling up the anchor as we were about to leave and we had already got dressed. Then we saw a small boat crash into the rocks. At that point, Gonzalo and I did not hesitate. We jumped into the sea with life jackets.There were moments of terror but we could not let those people asking for help die at sea," she said.

In the meantime, Matina's aunt and uncle got the attention of another boat that, as it was smaller, was able to get closer to the migrants trying to stay afloat, who were able to grab onto it.

Saving human lives is a very bad and very beautiful experience at the same time

'Welcoming comes naturally to us, but we are alone'

"There were some difficult moments. I was speaking English, the migrants French. I tried to reassure them but they were cold and scared. They were thirsty and we gave them water," Matina explained.

"Fortunately, in the end all of those that had been on the boat – including three children – were saved, in part thanks to the arrival of the coast guard," she said.

"Welcoming comes naturally to us. We Lampedusa natives have this in our blood. But today what I am feeling is panic and anger. We cannot receive people in this way, crowded together on the boats of the coast guard, dehydrated, suffering, exhausted from the journey.

"The truth is that we have always been alone in receiving migrants fleeing from their countries. We have been left to deal with it alone, abandoned by Europe," she added.

Matina denies that her actions were heroic. "We are not heroes. We are only human beings that tried to save other human beings experiencing difficulties," she said. "On this occasion it worked out. If I were to be a migrant in another life, I hope I would get the same help."