Reports of child left to die on abandoned dingy off Libyan coast, AFM saves 75 persons stranded on tuna pen

A five-year-old child died on board a rubber dingy in difficulty adrift off the coast of Libya during an attempt to reach European shores.

According to Alarm Phone, that no vessel in the vicinity went to give help despite an alert being issued. Alarm Phone said that the people on board the dingy said that a helicopter flew over them and an unidentified military ship passed close by, but no help arrived.

According to the #migrants, a 5-year-old girl has died on board. They also told us at 8.25h that the helicopter was still there and that the boat they saw was not a cargo but a military boat. We are quite certain it is an @ItalianNavy vessel, the P490. It has to rescue NOW!

— @alarmphone (@alarm_phone) May 30, 2019

Later on, the Italian warship ‘Cigala Fulgosi’ intervened and saved the group of people on board the dingy. Initial reports indicate that onboard there were 90 persons but so far there has been no confirmation of victims.

The @ItalianNavy vessel P490 had monitored the boat in distress yesterday already & could have rescued them nearly a day ago. This act of #non-assistance risked the lives of 90 people. Now these survivors have to be brought to a port of safety in #Italy! @refugees #safepassage

— @alarmphone (@alarm_phone) May 30, 2019

Late on Wednesday, a group of 75 migrants found stranded on a tuna pen were rescued by the Armed Forces.

They were taken on an AFM patrol boat and are expected to disembark in Malta Thursday morning.

In a statement, the government said the AFM and the Italian coast guard conducted multiple joint rescue operations supporting the Libyan coast guard.

The Italian coast guard carried out other rescues and is taking migrants to Lampedusa.

Via ANSA/The Times of Malta