AFMMigrant monitoring group Alarm Phone has expressed fury at Maltese authorities after a boat carrying approximately 35 people capsized in Malta’s search and rescue zone, with the organisation fearing around 20 deaths following what it described as a conscious decision to leave the group to die.
On Friday Alarm Phone revealed it had alerted authorities on Thursday to a vessel in distress within Malta’s SAR zone, but claimed they “failed to act” before the boat overturned.
“We cannot express our anger at yet another group consciously being left to die,” the organisation said, raising fresh questions about Malta’s response to distress calls in the Central Mediterranean.
At least one person has been confirmed dead, with 11 rescued so far after the vessel capsized approximately 50 miles southeast of Lampedusa. A major search and rescue operation coordinated by Maltese authorities is ongoing, with Maltese aircraft, Italian coast guard vessels, Frontex aircraft and a merchant ship attending the scene.
The rescue operation began on Thursday night after an Italian coast guard aircraft spotted the stricken vessel and immediately launched a life raft. Four survivors were initially rescued by a merchant vessel before being transferred to an Italian coast guard boat, which continued rescue efforts and recovered a body from the water.
According to Italy’s Guardiacostiera coast guard organisation, patrol vessels from both Malta and Italy remain en route to assist. Survivors have indicated there were around 30 people aboard when the vessel capsized.
The Armed Forces of Malta has been contacted for comment.
Alarm Phone’s accusation that Maltese authorities “failed to act” despite being alerted to the boat’s distress echoes a pattern of criticism levelled at Malta’s approach to Mediterranean migration. The organisation’s spokeswoman, Hela Kanakane, has previously said that Maltese authorities often do not answer calls or refuse immediate action, saying: “When we call Malta, we hear a recorded song or they tell us ‘we are busy’.”
According to the Malta Migration Archive, between 2020 and 2024, Malta rescued only 2 to 3 per cent of nearly 80,000 people in distress within its search and rescue zone. During this period, rescues by the AFM decreased by 90%, whilst interceptions by Libyan forces increased by 230 per cent.
Friday’s tragedy follows another controversial incident earlier this week, when the AFM denied receiving distress calls from a migrant boat allegedly attacked by Libyan coastguard forces in Malta’s SAR zone. Alarm Phone reported that one person died and three were injured after the vessel, carrying over 100 people, was shot at approximately 90 nautical miles southeast of Malta.
The AFM claimed it conducted aerial monitoring and diverted vessels but observed “no visible commotion” onboard, stating the boat “continued to proceed towards its intended destination.” The fishing vessel was eventually intercepted near the Italian coast, where three migrants required urgent medical care.
Malta’s maritime coordination agreement with Libya, announced in 2020, has been heavily criticised for facilitating returns to a country considered unsafe for migrants. Between 2020 and 2024, more than 5,000 people were repatriated to Libya from areas under Maltese responsibility, with international reports indicating many ended up in detention centres where murder, torture, rape and exploitation are documented.
During the same period, 1,700 people died at sea whilst more than 21,000 were forced back to Libya, compared to around 12,000 rescued by NGO ships and civil initiatives.
According to the United Nations, 885 people have died or gone missing in the Central Mediterranean so far this year whilst attempting to reach Malta or other European countries.
