Around 400 migrants, drifting on three wooden boats in Malta’s SAR, are in desperate need of rescuing as soaring temperatures put their life at heightened risk, according to emergency hotline Alarm Phone.
Women, children and people with medical conditions are aboard the vessels, which have been out at sea for at least 24 hours, the NGO’s spokesperson said.
“Boats are drifting, people are panicking and very weak. On one boat especially people can be heard screaming each time we make contact,” she added.
Alarm Phone staff have been attempting to contact Malta’s Rescue and Coordination Centre to alert them of the distress cases since yesterday, but no one is picking up, they said.
“Authorities seem to not engage and Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) as always is not responsive. We have been calming people throughout the whole night already,” she explained.
“The AFM need to act without delay. About 400 lives are at risk. All night we have been updating the alleged authorities. Hours later there is still no rescue in sight,” she said.
This weekend saw over 700 people rescued in the Meditteranean by search and rescue vessels.
It has left Sea Watch and Ocean Viking, at the limits of their capacity, the Alarm Phone spokesperson said.
Last month, three migrants aboard a boat rescued by AFM, were found dead, most likely due to dehydration and possible heatstroke throughout the voyage.
Humanitarian NGOs had accused the AFM of lengthy delays in rescuing the boat in distress, and had called on Malta to “stop this criminal behaviour.”
So far this year, an estimated 937 have gone dead or missing as a result of the deadly voyage across the Meditteranean, according to the UNHCR.
From January, Malta has seen 325 arrivals, substantially less than at this time last year, when the figure of arrivals stood at 1,966.
Italy, on the other hand, has experienced a drastic increase in migrants reaching its shores, with 27,253 arrivals by 25 July, compared to 11,968 last year.
The AFM has not responded to questions by Times of Malta.