Boat carrying 400 migrants adrift between Italy and Malta

Since 2014, more than 26,000 migrants and refugees have drowned or gone missing while crossing the Mediterranean

A vessel with around 400 migrants and refugees onboard is adrift between Italy and Malta as it awaits rescue from Italian coastguard, according to sea rescue support service Alarm Phone.

People onboard the vessel told Alarm Phone in a distress call on Sunday that the boat had been adrift for two days as it had taken on water and was without a captain, the organisation said.

“The boat has now reached the search and rescue area (SAR) between Italy and Malta, and Italian coastguard have informed us that they are sending a military ship to rescue the people onboard,” Britta Rabe, a spokesperson for Alarm Phone, told Al Jazeera on Monday.

“A merchant ship approached the boat and refuelled it but was asked by Maltese authorities not to conduct a rescue.”

During the night, we were able to reconnect with the ~400 people. They managed to continue the journey and have reached the shared SAR zone of #Malta and #Italy. They report high waves and strong wind. Still, no rescue is in sight!
Don't abandon them at sea, rescue now!
— @alarmphone (@alarm_phone) April 10, 2023

The vessel departed Tobruk in eastern Libya on Wednesday with around 400 people, including pregnant women and children, onboard.
“People are upset and crying for help because there is water inside their boat now,” Rabe said, adding that Italian coastguard workers have confirmed their SAR vessel Dicotti has left Sicily and is on its way to conduct the rescue.