A tragic incident unfolded off the coast of Malta on Friday as a 25-foot boat carrying migrants capsized during ongoing rescue operations, resulting in the loss of five lives and leaving eight individuals injured, as confirmed by Maltese authorities.
Following the capsizing, twenty-one survivors were safely transported to a migrant detention center in Malta, while search efforts persisted at sea to ensure no other passengers were left behind.
According to Col. Edric Zahra, deputy commander of the Armed Forces of Malta, the distress call was received at 10:45 a.m. on Friday regarding a migrant vessel located approximately 5 miles off the coast of Malta.
Upon locating the boat with the assistance of an armed forces aircraft, a rescue vessel was promptly dispatched to the scene. Tragically, the boat capsized during the rescue operation, with Zahra attributing the incident to "instability" caused by the movement of passengers, clarifying that there was no collision.
Migrant rescue operations can quickly turn chaotic when individuals, in a state of panic, shift their positions on the already precarious vessels in a bid to disembark swiftly.
Additional boats were deployed by the armed forces to aid in the rescue efforts, while a police inquiry into the incident was initiated.
The migrants on board hailed from Egypt, Syria, Ghana, and Eritrea, with the casualties comprising four men and one woman, as reported by Maltese officials.
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