Three dead as Armed Forces rescue 84 migrants at sea

Updated at 2:30 pm with AFM statement

84 migrants, including three who were found dead, stranded in a Malta’s search and rescue zone were rescued by the Armed Forces of Malta on Tuesday night.

NGO Sea-Watch confirmed the rescue on Twitter, insisting it was still delayed, calling for an independent investigation into the case.

“RCC Malta was informed about their critical health situation since the morning but the rescue was delayed! We are sad and angry. The circumstances of their death need an independent investigation,” it said.

According to reports, the rescue operation took place on the eastern side of Tunisia, with the boat departing from Libya.

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

Photo: Sea-Watch International

The NGO said on Tuesday that there were strong winds, claiming that despite there being three ships in the vicinity of the migrants, Malta had ordered “at least one” of these boats not to rescue the people on board and to instead wait.

It said that it 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.”

MaltaToday reached out to a home affairs spokesperson who said that a ministry statement will be issued in the coming hours.

Armed Forces statement

In a statement, the Armed Forces said 81 people in Malta’s SAR zone were brought ashore.

Among those saved were five women and three children.

On the same boat, the AFM said that three men were found dead. They were brought ashore.