According to the German charity Sea-Watch International, a commercial ship donated fuel and water to a troubled boat carrying around 400 migrants between Greece and Malta but was advised not to attempt a rescue.
Early on Sunday, the aid agency Alarm Phone got word that a vessel that had departed Tobruk in Libya amid a huge surge of migrant boats crossing the Mediterranean from North Africa had become adrift and taking on water.
According to Alarm Phone, the boat was found in the Maltese Search and Rescue zone (SAR).
Sea-Watch International accused Malta on Monday of refusing to rescue the people on board, despite the fact that they were in severe danger and the boat was battling 1.5-meter waves.
On Thursday, the government of Malta declared that it does not feel forced to accept any of the migrants if the boat continues to go toward Italy.
Despite numerous requests for comment, the Maltese administration has remained deafeningly mute.
Two boats carrying African migrants attempting to reach Italy sank off the coast of Tunisia on Saturday, leaving at least 23 people missing and four dead.
This week, the Doctors Without Borders (MSF) vessel Geo Barents performed a difficult 11-hour rescue mission in heavy seas, saving the lives of 440 migrants off the coast of Malta.
According to the ANSA news agency, over a thousand migrants arrived on the Italian island of Lampedusa, south of Sicily, on Sunday.
