Hundreds have died crossing the Mediterranean from Turkey as they tried to reach Europe after fleeing conflicts and political turmoil in the Middle East and elsewhere.

Sara, also a swimmer, said she told her sister that if their boat capsized during the journey they should just try to save themselves as it would be impossible to help everyone else.

But when the engine stopped and the boat started deflating she realized she could not let the others drown.

“We needed to have less weight on the boat and nobody else besides us could swim ... When I first got into the water my whole body was shaking like it does just before competition,” she said.

“At that very moment I felt that life was bigger than me alone. All the people on that boat were part of me.

“I thought it was my duty to jump in the water ... if I (had left) them I would feel bad with myself for the rest of my life.”

She described how her father’s friend cut off her trouser legs in the sea to stop her clothing weighing her down.