The NGO Alarm Phone, stated that approximately 80 migrants were stranded off the Libyan coast, waiting for assistance.
The NGO added that they had been at sea for over 40 hours, with no sign that either the Maltese or Italian authorities were launching a rescue mission.
“We fear that [they] will have to endure for an unnecessarily long time in acute distress or that they risk being illegally returned to the hell of Libya,” the NGO said.
Simultaneously, German NGO Sea-Eye said it was seeking a safe port, after 150 people were rescued from a dinghy in distress off of Libya.
Italy and Malta have told the German Foreign Ministry that they would not allow those rescued at sea to disembark in their harbors. They ruled out this option, even if EU states came to an agreement to share the responsibility between themselves.
However, the NGO has appealed to Berlin to help it organize transport for the 150 migrants to Germany.