A boat with about 400 people on board is drifting between Greece and Malta and taking on water, the Alarm Phone helpline said on Sunday, following a sudden increase in migrant boats crossing the Mediterranean Sea from North Africa, Reuters reported.

Migrants try to cross the Mediterranean Sea on an inflatable boatPhoto: Valeria Mongelli / AFP / Profimedia

Alarm Phone said on Twitter that it received a call from a vessel that had sailed from Tobruk, Libya, and notified authorities. But the authorities have not yet started a rescue operation.

Alarm Phone reported that the vessel was in the Malta Search and Rescue (SAR) area.

“The woman reported the seriousness of the conditions on board. There is no captain, and there is no one to steer the boat. Several people need medical attention, including a child, a pregnant woman, and a person with physical disabilities. Urgent rescue is needed!”, – noted in “Telefon alarm”.

German NGO Sea-Watch International announced on Twitter that it had found a boat with two commercial ships nearby.

Sea-Watch International said Maltese authorities ordered the ships not to carry out a rescue operation and asked one vessel only to refuel the vessel.

The Maltese authorities could not be reached for comment, Reuters reports.