A boat with 17 migrants, including women and children, has been lost in Maltese waters after escaping from Libya, an NGO said on Monday.

NGO Alarm Phone tweeted that contact with the boat was lost last night. Alarm Phone also attempted to get in contact with authorities to launch a rescue mission, but there has been no response.

Malta has often been accused of ignoring distress calls by migrant boats and the NGOs which rescue them.

This year at least 918 people have drowned or gone missing across the Mediterranean according to IOM statistics.

This year, 119 asylum seekers were rescued by Malta, and since 14 May only one asylum seeker was brought to Malta.

In a report published by the European Council for Refugees and Exiles, they said that Malta has a low number of rescues due to Malta’s national policies.

“Since May 2020, and throughout 2021, the Armed Forces of Malta drastically decreased rescues at sea. In 2021, the Maltese Government continued to deny disembarkation to individuals rescued at sea, in particular where the rescue was conducted by NGO vessels,” the report said.