Migrant boat capsizes on Easter Sunday, people feared lost at sea

A number of migrants are feared to have perished at sea after the boat they were on sunk in the waters between Malta and Italy, NGO Sea Watch has reported.

Sea Watch said that an unknown number of persons had drowned after one of the four boats which had been drifting in the sea since yesterday capsized.

Each of the boats were carrying between 47 and 85 people, the NGO said.

The migrants, Sea Watch said, were left to die on Easter Sunday.

After having been informed of the migrants' situation ealirer, Sea Watch had asked for the intervention of the European Commission to ensure that the right of persons at sea were guaranteed.

On Saturday Maltese government has unanimously approved a Cabinet decision to prevent migrant rescue charities and other vessels from bringing into Malta people rescued at sea, namely boat migrants, asylum seekers and refugees.

The controversial decision mimiced that taken by Italy, which, struggling under the COVID-19 pandemic that has shut down the entire country, is refusing to allow rescued migrants in its ports.

The Italian decree ultimately also placed disproportionate burden on Malta as the first European port of entry for migrants, but also placed the border countries on the precipice of international human rights law violations.