Nineteen migrants are believed to have drowned, trapped in their boat’s lower deck while hundreds of others were rescued during a major rescue operation off Malta on Friday night.
Nearly all the victims are expected to be brought to Malta by this morning, towed in the same boat in which they drowned.
Yet another tragedy which at European level is considered as more of the same- PM
An infant who also died in the tragedy is being transferred to Italy after his parents, travelling on the same ill-fated boat, refused to let him go. The survivors were all taken to Italy.
The tragic details were given by the Italian coast guard as well as Prime Minister Joseph Muscat who was attending the Maratona Oħloq Tbissima in St Venera yesterday morning. The boat was carrying around 400 migrants fleeing Libya hoping to reach Europe.
According to a statement from the Italian coast guard, the alarm was raised by a Danish merchant ship operating close by which realised that the 25-metre boat started taking in water. The migrants’ boat was around nine hours away from land.
Panic ensued as the ship approached them but the gruesome details emerged later when it transpired that a number of migrants, including a baby, had drowned in their boat’s lower deck.
An army statement said the migrants could have died following a stampede on board.
Three migrants were rushed to Italian hospitals in critical condition, one dying along the way. Their nationality has not yet been established, though some Italian media reports said the majority were Syrians and Eritreans.
In the rescue mission coordinated by the Armed Forces of Malta, the Italian coast guard dispatched two rescue vessels to the area from Lampedusa and two nearby vessels were instructed to assist.
What I know is that when I got the call, I was saddened that another tragedy had taken place
The incident happened inside Malta’s search and rescue area and 68 miles off Lampedusa, which was the closest port of call.
Dr Muscat told The Sunday Times of Malta: “This is yet another tragedy which at European level is considered as ‘more of the same’. What I know is that when I got the call, I was saddened that another tragedy had taken place.”
The Prime Minister expressed concern that the Libya crisis would exacerbate the problem but said he was optimistic the Italian EU presidency would do its utmost to try to find a workable solution.
In recent weeks, several boats carrying migrants were detected fleeing Libya as the north African country descends into chaos. The exodus has put tremendous pressure on the EU’s naval rescue project Mare Nostrum, and especially Italy, which has taken in almost all of those rescued.
A government spokesman said that the AFM coordinated four rescues since Thursday, saving a total of 1,062 migrants. In addition, Italy rescued an additional 4,000 through the various patrols.
The tragedy comes days before two philanthropists embark on what is thought to be the first privately-funded search and rescue operation for migrants in the Mediterranean.
Malta-based Regina and Christopher Catrambone were planning to launch their inaugural mission next month, coordinated by former AFM commander Martin Xuereb.