Hundreds of migrants have been rescued from an overcrowded fishing boat in international waters off Malta after a complex 11-hour operation in stormy seas, the Doctors Without Borders (MSF) charity said on Wednesday.
MSF said its Geo Barents vessel struggled with the rescue, concluded late on Tuesday, due to the rough weather and initially could do little more than throw life jackets to the 440 migrants and monitor their situation.
Alarm Phone, a charity that picks up distress calls from migrants crossing the central Mediterranean, had warned two days ago that the boat was in difficulty, prompting MSF's intervention.
