Rescue groups say Malta coordinated the return of 500 migrants to Libya instead of saving them

By RENATA BRITO
Associated Press

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Rescue groups are accusing the European island nation of Malta of coordinating the return of around 500 people to Libya where they were subsequently imprisoned, in violation of international maritime law. The migrants, who included 55 children and several pregnant women, had been trying to reach Europe on May 23 aboard a fishing vessel when they reported to Alarm Phone – a hotline for migrants in distress – that they were adrift and taking in water near Malta. Three days later they were reportedly disembarked in eastern Libya and sent to a detention center in Benghazi.