Updated Wednesday April 8. 

A group of 80 migrants are stranded at sea off the Libyan coast, according to a migration monitoring service. 

In a tweet NGO Alarm Phone said that approximately 80 people had been at sea for over 40 hours with no sign that either the Maltese or Italian authorities were launching a rescue mission. 

“We fear that [they] will have to endure unnecessarily long time in acute distress or that they risk being illegally returned to the hell of Libya,” the NGO said. 

It later added that the migrants had been spotted from the air by a European asset.  

Times of Malta has reached out to the Armed Forces of Malta for a comment. 

Meanwhile, German NGO Sea Eye said it is seeking a safe port after it rescued 150 people from small boats in distress off the Libyan coast.

The vessel pulled 68 people from the Mediterranean on Monday morning before picking up dozens more later, the group said in a statement.

Italy and Malta "made it clear to the (German) foreign ministry that they would not agree to rescued people disembarking" even if there was an agreement to share them out among EU member states.

The NGO nevertheless has appealed to Berlin to help it organise transport for the 150 migrants to Germany.

Underlining the risks it took to save the migrants, Sea Eye said the crew of a boat flying the Libyan flag had fired shots in the air during the rescue.

Migrants arrive in Lampedusa

On Wednesday Alarm Phone said the migrants had safely landed on the island of Lampedusa. 

The migrants on board were brought to harbour by Italian authorities.