Boat with 400 migrants adrift between Greece, Malta

A vessel with around 400 people on board is adrift between Greece and Malta and is taking on water, support service Alarm Phone said Sunday, after a sharp rise of migrant boats crossing the Mediterranean from North Africa. Alarm Phone said on Twitter they had received a call from the boat, which departed from Tobruk, in Libya, overnight and that they had informed authorities. But authorities had not launched a rescue operation so far, they added. Alarm Phone said the boat was now in the Maltese Search and Rescue area (SAR).

~400 people at risk in Central Med

During the night we received a call from a boat with ~400 people in distress who departed from #Tobruk, #Libya.
We informed authorities, but no rescue operation has been confirmed so far.
Don’t delay help and put lives at risk - rescue now! pic.twitter.com/OubnsVG7Qi

— Alarm Phone (@alarm_phone) April 9, 2023

German NGO Sea-Watch International said on its Twitter account it had found the boat with two merchant ships nearby. It said the Maltese authorities had ordered the ships not to carry out a rescue and that one of them was just asked to supply it with fuel.

Another NGO, Germany's RESQSHIP, said Sunday at least 23 migrants died overnight in the Mediterranean in a separate shipwreck.

[1/4] Speechless and devastated. After hours of non-stop distress cases, our crew was alerted to another DC. When they arrived they found about 25 people in the water – they had been in there for about 2 hours already. Our crew was able to recover 22 survivors and 2 deceased. pic.twitter.com/iiqCvw2BEr

— RESQSHIP (@resqship_int) April 9, 2023

Last week 440 migrants were rescued off Malta after a complex 11-hour operation in stormy seas by the Geo Barents vessel of the Doctors Without Borders (MSF) charity. At least 23 African migrants were missing and four died Saturday after their two boats sank off Tunisia as they tried to reach Italy.