Speaks the survivor in Lake Shkodra: The water level rose suddenly, barely...

Elsaid Tahiri, brother of the 13-year-old drowning Ervis Tahiri, and son of the other victim's uncle Sabian Tahiri, says that the other five who managed to get ashore were saved by God. He relates the moments of horror as they washed in the lake, the water level has suddenly increased by surprise.

Elsaid, how did you decide to get into a boat lake?

We left home about 12: 00 p.m. and went to the lake to wash up. There we decided to take a ship that is ours and we entered the lake, never thinking that anything bad could happen.

How many went to wash in the lake?

It was me, my brother who unfortunately drowned, uncle's son who also unfortunately drowned, father's aunt's son and three others who came with us. Our friends too. So we've totaled seven people. Five of us made it out while two others remained inside.

Why did you go to the lake with the boat?

We went out to the lake for fun, just taking the sail for a walk. It's not like we went too far. The water was up to the belt. We went out for fun like young people, because everyone wants to move out of the house, much more at those low temperatures. We had no idea that such a thing could happen, nor did we know at all that anyone could drown. We don't have anything bad at all. We know swimming, and my brother and my uncle's son knew how to swim. We weren't far from the coast, or 100 meters, so we never thought anyone could drown in that situation. If we thought something bad, we wouldn't have gone for any reason.

What was the weather when you broke into the lake?

The weather was really killed, the wind was wind, but there was still a few waves. We did not find the weather bad or the waves great enough to endanger us. We saw a normal situation despite a little wind and a little wave. We were off the coast so we went into the lake.

How did the moment happen to you?

Where we were, the water was shallow. It may have been 2: 00 p.m. or 14:30 when we received a return trip to shore. So, about two hours or two and a half hours we've been washed. Suddenly, the water began to deepen itself. We were all surprised because immediately the water began to rise until it crossed all of us. We got water over our heads.

Being in this difficult situation where water covered us right then, we all thought together to leave the boat and swim. That was a decision we all agreed on. We got to go ashore with a swim. Five of us were struggling to get out, but the other two drowned. I have no words to say how I feel.

The rest of you, how did you get in that difficult situation?

I don't know what to say. The rest of us were helped by God. My uncle's brother and son knew how to swim, but they may have gotten tired or panicked, and unfortunately today they are gone.

Why did you abandon the sail?

We abandoned the ship because it was flowing, and from what we saw came the strong wind. The water covered us, and we had no choice. The boat stopped serving us. We were other days. One day before that, we were in the lake. We were even farther away and the water was right, it was right up to our chest. We went in again when there was wind or a little wave, but it never happened to us.