The Doctors Without Borders rescue ship ‘Geo Barents’ announced Friday the rescue of 103 people, including 22 children, who were drifting in the waters of the central Mediterranean.
The NGO’s rescue team acted after receiving an alert about a wooden boat in distress where the migrants, including an injured man with a broken leg, were sailing.
MSF has taken the opportunity to criticize the actions of the Maltese Army for «neglecting its legal obligation to coordinate these rescues and provide assistance, despite the fact that the relevant authorities were informed all along.»
The NGO regrets that «without the joint efforts of the rescue teams» of humanitarian organizations «371 people could have drowned in less than a day,» according to a message posted on its Twitter account.
«The indifference and lack of coordination of the competent authorities is unacceptable,» it laments.
