A boat carrying migrants in Malta’s SAR zone is in distress, according to the NGO Alarm Phone.

The Maltese and Italian authorities were informed at 3.40pm on Friday of the GPS position of the vessel, the NGO tweeted.

However, a spokesperson from the Armed Forces of Malta told Times of Malta that they had no information on the case.

Forty migrants including seven women who left Libya on Thursday are aboard the boat, added Alarm Phone.

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