LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Alarm Phone has confirmed that around 60 migrants will be transferred to Malta after being rescued by a merchant vessel after the two boats they were traveling on ran into difficulties in the Maltese search and rescue area. The two boats, each with about 30 people on board, were sailing southeast of Malta. The Alarm Phone said on Sunday evening that a nearby cargo vessel had offered support, as had the Life Support salvage vessel operated by NGO Emergency. However, Malta reportedly refused to order a salvage informing the merchant vessel not to intervene, prompting Alarm Phone to contact the Maltese authorities urging them to “end the cruel salvage prevention”. This morning the turning point, with Alarm Phone reporting that it had learned that the people on the two boats “were rescued by merchant ships which Malta finally ordered to intervene”. The rescued people are expected to reach Malta in the afternoon. The rescue comes amid growing tensions between Malta and some NGOs, according to which the Maltese authorities are pressing not to rescue people in distress in the relevant Sar area in the hope that they will push themselves into Italian waters.
(ITALPRESS).
-photo credit agenziafotogramma.it-

Source: medNews