18-year-old migrant dies trying to cross Italy’s Po river ‘on a bet’

A young migrant from Morocco drowned in the center of the Italian city of Turin while trying to cross the Po river, possibly as part of a bet. A bet or, as investigators say, a "stunt" - this was reportedly the reason for the death of 18-year-old Oussama Cherkaoui, who drowned in the Po river in the center of Turin over the weekend. "Do you want to see me swim across the river?" the young migrant from Morocco allegedly said prior to jumping into the Po the day before Easter.

His body was pulled out of the water Monday morning near the point where he disappeared. Cherkaoui dived into the water late Saturday night, around 1 a.m. He was with two friends when he made the bet.

Taking off his shoes and jacket, which held his ID documents, he jumped into the cold river, disappearing. Upon not seeing him rise to the surface, his friends called for help. Police and firefighters arrived to search for him.

Corpse found and recovered on Monday

Even using the help of a drone and a helicopter, rescuers could not locate the man that evening or the following day.

But on Monday morning, at a bridge only a few meters from where the 18-year-old jumped into the water, divers recovered his body. Despite being in a dry period, the water was high at that specific point.

Oussama hosted by local community

Cherkaoui, who turned 18 on March 1, had been hosted by the local social cooperative Difesa Fanciulli. The non-profit organisation works with young people living in fragile situations, like migrant minors who arrive in Italy unaccompanied by any adult relatives.

Forensic police were seen carrying out their work Monday morning, with Cherkaoui's body covered to protect it from the eyes of curious passersby and tourists - some of whom, from the Lungo Diaz balconade, were even taking selfies. "We are very upset trying to understand this," some of those from the community that hosted him said tearfully. On the banks of the Po river, a Moroccan consular official took down details about the young man, whose corpse will undergo an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

The police are investigating. Oussama is not the first to drown at this spot, known as the Murazzi of the Po river in Turin. In 1997, Abdellah Doumi was beaten and ended up in the water.

To prevent him from surfacing, his attackers threw bottles, cans and even a vacuum cleaner at him.

In August 2020, a young man also jumped in to cool himself off.

He, like Oussama, did not come back to the surface alive.