German NGO rescues 800 in six operations, heading to Italy

By COLLEEN BARRY
Associated Press

MILAN (AP) — A rescue ship carrying nearly 400 migrants picked up another 400 people from a two-tier wooden boat that had started to sink overnight in the central Mediterranean Sea. A German charity that operates the ship said Thursday that a distress call from the crowded boat originated in Malta’s search and rescue area, and that Maltese authorities failed to respond. The nongovernmental organization Sea-Eye said its rescue ship therefore traveled for about six hours to reach the sinking boat. Sea-Eye 4 was en route Thursday to Italy’s Lampedusa island, although the charity said it still had not received confirmation the vessel would be permitted to dock there.