5 dead, 8 injured as migrant boat capsizes off Malta

Five people were confirmed dead and eight others injured after a migrant boat capsized near Malta's shores during a rescue operation, the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) said on Friday, reported Xinhua.

The boat, around 7.6 meters long and powered by two motors, was carrying 34 people from Syria, Eritrea, Ghana and Egypt, who were crossing the Mediterranean Sea, AFM Deputy Commander Colonel Edric Zahra said in a press statement.

He said the AFM was informed of the boat at around 10.45 a.m. (0945 GMT) when the boat was around 5 nautical miles (9.2 km) off the south coast of Malta. An AFM aircraft was dispatched to the scene when the boat had reached around 3.5 nautical miles (6.5 km).

An AFM vessel was sent on site but the boat capsized during the rescue operation, throwing all into the sea. Afterward, 21 men were rescued and taken to a detention center, eight men were sent to hospital for treatment, and the bodies of four men and a woman were recovered from the sea.

When asked about the cause, Zahra said the migrants' boat was small and any move could destabilize it. He said the AFM was still searching the area for survivors at sea. An investigation is also underway.