Although the authorities were alerted, no rescue operation was carried out.
In between, a ship with about 400 people on board drifts Malta and the Libya and take water, the Alarm Phone hotline reported on Sunday, as observers spot a surge in migrant boats crossing the coast Mediterranean Sea departs fromNorth Africa. Alarm Phone announced on Twitter that it had received a call from the boat that left Tobruk, Libya last night.
\ud83c\udd98~400 people at risk in the Central Mediterranean
During the night we received a call from a boat with about 400 people in distress, which cast off #Tobruk, #Libya.
We have informed the authorities, but no rescue operation has been confirmed so far.
Don’t hesitate to help and risk lives – save now! pic.twitter.com/OubnsVG7Qi— Alarm Phone (@alarm_phone) April 9, 2023
The authorities were alerted, but no emergency operation was not launched, the organization adds, after which people on board are panicking and several are in need of medical attention. The ship has run out of fuel and its lower deck is taking on water, the captain has left the boat and no one can steer it, adds Alarm Phone stating the boat is now in the Maltese search and recovery zone). It was not possible to contact the Maltese authorities immediately.
Another shipwreck the day before
The German NGO Sea-Watch International announced on its Twitter account that it was conducting searches for boats in distress in the Mediterranean Sea this Sunday, including the one reported by Alarm Phone. Another NGO, German Resqship, said Sunday that at least 23 migrants died in another shipwreck in the Mediterranean last night. Last week, 440 migrants were rescued off the coast of Malta after a complex operation carried out by the Doctors Without Borders (MSF) charity ship Geo Barents in rough seas. At least 23 African migrants are missing and four died on Saturday when their boat sank off Tunisia while trying to reach Italy.