Happy news has risen out of a tragic accident that occurred in the Mediterranean Sea this past Fall. In October, a boat carrying African immigrants bound for Europe capsized off the coast of Libya after heavy weather caused a massive wave to engulf the small water craft. According to the Italian arm of Doctors Without Borders (MSF), 5 of the 20 passengers drowned, including a 2-year-old girl.

A young couple in their early twenties from Algeria who were among the survivors of the disaster, lost their wedding rings when the boat capsized. Ahmed and Doudou, who were rescued by fishermen, were just grateful to still have each other. But the couple received a wonderful surprise several weeks after the tragic incident.

On November 9, rescuers with the maritime rescue NGO Open Arms came across the wreckage of the capsized vessel. Among the remains was a red backpack filled with a few travel essentials. They also found a pair of wedding rings inside the backpack, inscribed with the names Ahmed and Doudou.

Sharing with CNN, president of Open Arms Italy said: “In the first moments, we thought that it probably belonged to someone that was dead or lost in the trip. The significance and the meaning of what this was like ‘Wow … here’s something that really belonged to someone and we do not know where they are or if they still are’.”

Open Arms gave the recovered items to MSF, with no real expectation that the items would be reunited with it’s owners. Ahmad Al Rousan, a cultural mediator for MSF in Italy, said that in his 9 years of working in rescue operations, he’s never seen recovered items returned to their original owners. Open went ahead and posted pictures of the items on their Facebook page, and passed the pictures amongst some of the survivors of the wreck.

Al Rousan was surprised to receive a phone call saying the backpack had been identified as belonging to a couple who had been rescued from the incident.

“I spoke with Ahmed directly and he started to explain to me what’s inside, because the photo I sent was just of the backpack and some of the things on the deck,” he said. Ahmed went on to state that his rings were a little broken and the couple were hoping to have them repaired once they arrived in Europe.

“He told me he was really happy to see the photo and he was very emotional about the rings, but he’s still in shock and said ‘I keep thinking about the five people who lost their lives in front of us,” continued Al Rousan.

The items have been cleaned and will be returned to Ahmed and Doudou once their mandatory Covid-19 quarantine is complete.