A group of 110 people may be unaccounted for with emergency services NGO Alarm Phone accusing the Armed Forces of Malta of ordering a rescue vessel to leave the scene of the drifting boat the migrants were in.
A Seawatch International spokesperson confirmed that the third boat has not yet been rescued.
A merchant vessel, Nordicstar was in the vicinity of the third boat and had agreed to rescue those onboard. We were informed by the captain of the Nordicstar that a Maltese patrol boat stopped the vessel from rescuing the boat and forced it to leave the scene, the Seawatch spokesperson said.