German NGO ship rescues more than 200 migrants at sea

A German NGO said they rescued a total of 223 migrants when they attempted to cross the central Mediterranean Sea from North Africa to Europe on Thursday.

The rescue ship Sea-Eye 4 answered to several distress calls in the Maltese search and rescue waters, the NGO said on Friday. The Sea-Eye said among the 223 people were 29 women, 4 of whom were pregnant, and 8 children.

The NGO said the ship is currently patrolling the area to search for one more boat of migrants after receiving another call of distress. The vessel is sailing in the central Mediterranean between the Tunisian and Libyan coasts and the island of Malta.