80 migrants adrift in Malta SAR

80 migrants are currently adrift in Malta’s search and rescue area, with rescue group Sea-Watch claiming that Malta ordered a nearby ship to not rescue the migrants at sea.

Activist hotline Alarm Phone were first to report on the 80 migrants at sea, after receiving a distress call from the people on board.

“There are strong winds and the boat is adrift in Malta SAR. Authorities are alerted,” Alarm Phone wrote on twitter.

Through its monitoring aircraft ‘Moonbird’, Sea-Watch International were able to locate the boat and monitor the situation.

The NGO says that a merchant vessel, Chembulk Barcelona, is on its way to the case.

In one tweet, Sea-Watch states that there are three ships in the vicinity of the migrants, but claims that Malta ordered “at least one” of these boats not to rescue the people on board and to instead wait.

The NGO says that this was likely ordered so as to facilitate a pullback by Libyan or Tunisian authorities.

In a separate tweet, Sea-Watch said that one of the ships, a Turkish NATO warship, sent a helicopter to monitor the scene.

“Such a frigate is perfectly equipped for rescue operations, there is no excuse not to rescue and to bring the people to a place of safety.”