In a shocking incident, more than 400 people were stuck mid-sea after a vessel carrying migrants left adrift between Greece and Malta on Sunday.
Although there is no official confirmation of any deaths, Sea-Watch International, a German NGO, in a social media post, said those on board were in "imminent danger of death" and called on the European Union to act.
Besides, Alarm Phone-- a project operated by volunteers from Europe, Tunisia and Morocco, which is committed to the sea rescue of refugees-- in a series of Twitter posts, said it had received a call from the boat, which departed from Tobruk in Libya.
"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!" tweeted Alaram Phone.
"Just now the people told us they could see a merchant vessel, which we assume to be the @MAERSK BINTAN very close to them, but the ship continued its course. 3 of the people in distress then jumped into the water as they believe the boat to capsize any moment now. Where is help??" it added.
Captain left the boat
Shockingly, the ill-fated people, who were yet to receive any relief, said the vessel was out of fuel and the captain had left amid the fact there was nobody who could steer the ship.
Moreover, distressed people also narrated that its lower deck was full of water. Furthermore, the German NGO said that two merchant ships were spotted nearby but the administration ordered not to rescue them. Instead, one was asked by Malta to only supply the boat with fuel.
However, as of writing this article, none of the agencies have confirmed whether they have initiated any rescue operation or not.
Migrant disasters soar tremendously
It is worth mentioning this was not the first time when a boat carrying such a large number of migrants struck the Mediterranean Sea. According to the data from the EU, the illegal crossing of migrants soared tremendously following the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, several boats carrying migrants especially from African nations drowned in the past three years.
Earlier last week, at least 27 people were dead or missing after two migrant boats sank off the east coast of Tunisia, BBC reported. The first boat left Tunisia for Italy on Friday, with 37 on board. Twenty are missing while 17 have been rescued, a court spokesperson in the city of Sfax said. On Saturday, four bodies were recovered from a beach after a second boat sank.
