
A pregnant woman and a severely injured man were airlifted from Malta’s search and rescue (SAR) zone on Sunday after a shipwreck claimed several lives, including two children.
German rescue NGO Sea Punks reported 17 survivors, while many others drowned.
Sea Punks’ Sea Punk I rescue vessel arrived at the scene around 7 a.m. to find people scattered in the water, including a deceased toddler.
Rescuers initially encountered 21 individuals, but several drowned during the operation despite efforts to save them. Survivors were suffering from severe hypothermia, and medical staff attempted CPR on two children, managing to save only one.
The NGO described the situation as “extremely critical,” with people drifting and separating on both sides of the ship.
The incident occurred approximately 53 nautical miles off Lampedusa. After the rescue, the Italian Coast Guard took the 15 remaining survivors and the bodies of the two deceased children.
In a separate case on Saturday, Sea Punks discovered a fibreglass boat in Malta’s SAR zone with 41 people aboard, including women and children.
The boat had run out of fuel just nine miles from Italy’s SAR zone.
Despite multiple attempts, Maltese authorities failed to respond, the NGO said.
Malta’s SAR zone spans 250,000 square kilometres, roughly the size of the UK. Although its size makes monitoring challenging, lawmakers have resisted reducing it due to its economic benefits.
#MaltaDaily