When local news outlets carried a police appeal for information about a missing man on Monday, many spewed hate and ignorance on social media, with some even enjoying the fact that there was now "one fewer of them among us."

For, you see, the missing man was not Maltese. He was a Somali national.

The vitriol that was spewed on platforms like Facebook was simply surreal. And mind you, this happened mere hours after Malta donated €5.8 million during the annual l-Istrina fundraising telethon. The contrast could not be starker.

We are, of course, not attributing this hate speech towards the entire Maltese nation, far from it. But it is safe to assume that at least a few of those who relished at the man's disappearance had donated to the charitable cause.

A few hours later, the full story emerged. Ahmed Adawe Diriye was not missing. He was lying inside Mater Dei's mortuary room. A few days earlier, he had been involved in a workplace accident in Marsa. He had been rushed to hospital with grievous injuries after suffering a fall on 22 December.

MaltaToday reported that medical personnel who treated the man were unable to identify him and referred to him as 'Mr X.' Unfortunately, the man died some days later in hospital and was only identified by the same nurses who had treated him after the police issued the missing person report and accompanying photo.

This story is terrible on more than one level. Firstly, because this seems to be another case of exploitation of foreigners by the local industry. How can it be that a man who was working at a Maltese factory was completely anonymous? How could the people who employed him not have known his name?

Secondly, it shows how migrants and refugees are 'lost' to the system and are simply unknowns - people without a name.

Thirdly, this story showed just how cold-hearted some people can be. According to reports, Diriye was working in Malta to be able to send some money to his family abroad. He used to contact his relatives daily, but all communication stopped on the day of the accident and his family did not know why. Now they have been given the terrible news that their loved one has died. To make matters worse, no one knew who he was when he succumbed to his injuries. He died without a name.

Do the people who commented in such a hateful way on social media feel any remorse now? Do they not feel bad for this human being who died such a lonely death, with no one to visit him, without his next of kin being even aware that he was in hospital?

Unfortunately, this is the same sort of behaviour displayed towards migrants who are rescued at sea. Over the past few days, NGOs rescued several migrant groups in the Mediterranean and these people have been stuck out at sea for days, with no country willing to take them in. 'No room at the inn.'

The reactions to the NGOs' pleas for help were similar. 'Send them back. We don't want them.'

Is this the Christian charity we boast so much about? Is this the solidarity that we preach?

Shame on those who are first to declare that they donated selflessly to l-Istrina to help the Maltese in need, and then turn their back on our brothers and sisters of a different skin colour.