An emergency hotline NGO is urging Malta to save 350 people stranded on a sinking boat off Malta, claiming four of them have passed out.

According to Alarm Phone, the people aboard the boat, which is in Malta’s search-and-rescue zone, are panicking, screaming "we are dying".

A spokesperson told Times of Malta that the migrants on board have reached out to the Italian and Libyan coastguards, and the Armed Forces of Malta, but they have not received any help.

“Armed Forces Malta stop this lethal non-assistance and rescue now,” Alarm Phone Tweeted

The spokesperson said the boat left Zuwara, Libya, two days ago, and there are many women and children aboard.

“We have been informed that four people fainted, including a young child. The boat also started taking in water and the engine has stopped working,” the spokesperson said.

They added that the NGO had contacted AFM, who took note of the information but did not tell Alarm Phone whether any action will be taken.

However, AFM told Times of Malta that it had no information about the boat.

Alarm Phone is an emergency hotline NGO that receives SOS messages from migrants crossing the Mediterranean and then relays then alerts the national authorities about the migrants’ exact location.

In an email sent to AFM, Alarm Phone demanded immediate action from the authorities to coordinate a rescue operation.

“The people are currently located in the Maltese SAR zone. As per SAR convention (2.1.9.: Parties having accepted responsibility to provide search and rescue services for a specified area shall use search and rescue units and other available facilities for providing assistance to a person who is, or appears to be, in distress at sea) the Maltese authorities are the responsible authorities,” the email reads.

The news comes a day after 49 migrants, including a pregnant woman, were rescued after they were stranged on rocks at Għar Lapsi in Siġġiewi.