VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Around 60 people believed to have departed from North Africa arrived in Buġibba early Friday morning after their boat reportedly capsized at sea, leaving one person dead. Several survivors required immediate hospitalisation for severe hypothermia.
A fisherman first spotted the vessel in distress offshore and alerted authorities. The Armed Forces of Malta’s rescue coordination centre received the call at 8.43am, dispatching both aerial and maritime units to assist.
When the group reached the Buġibba jetty, emergency responders provided thermal blankets and on-site treatment as medical teams assessed the survivors. Multiple ambulances and Mater Dei Hospital’s Major Incident Support Unit had been deployed in anticipation of the landing.
Details on the circumstances remain limited.
Friday’s landing marks the first major migrant arrival in Malta since 2020. That year recorded 2,200 arrivals, compared to just 238 in 2024. Authorities have not yet released further information on the condition of the survivors or the status of the rescue operation.
-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).
