Malta receives 60 rescued migrants in first arrivals in months

VALLETTA (Reuters) – Sixty migrants who were rescued from two boats in the central Mediterranean landed in Malta on Monday in the biggest arrival of migrants on the island for months, eyewitnesses said.

The migrants were picked up by a merchant ship between Malta and Libya following instructions by Malta’s rescue authorities.

The rescue came days after Malta was criticised by a senior Italian politician as well as charities Alarm Phone and Sea Watch for failing to rescue boat people in its search and rescue zone.

“Good news. We have learned that the two boats in distress were rescued by merchant vessels that Malta eventually ordered to intervene,” Alarm Phone said on Monday.

On Sunday night the same charity accused the Maltese authorities of refusing to order rescue operations for the two boats.

The Maltese government and its armed forces have not commented on the rescue and have not reacted to the criticism.

Earlier in April, Tommaso Foti, who heads the ruling right-wing Brothers of Italy grouping in Italy’s lower house of parliament reacted angrily after Malta failed to rescue some 400 migrants who packed a fishing boat in its search and rescue zone.

The migrants were eventually taken to Italy. In a belated reaction, the Maltese armed forces said they never received a rescue request from the people on the boat.

“Malta’s attitude is starting to grate,” Foti said last week. “They (Malta) consistently pretend not to see and never intervene. Our coastguard is under pressure.”

Migrant arrivals have surged in Italy this year. Over 34,000 migrants came ashore so far in 2023, compared to 8,600 in the same period in 2022, according to Italian government data.

Maltese authorities deny the existence of any plan to systematically ignore rescue calls.

However according to data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Malta had received only one rescued migrant since the start of the year.

(Reporting by Christopher Scicluna; Editing by Christina Fincher)