At least 11 migrants drowned during a rescue operation in international waters off Malta’s coast, according to Maltese authorities. The Armed Forces of Malta reported that the incident occurred on Sunday evening after a fishing vessel alerted them to a migrant boat in distress about 50 nautical miles east of Malta. The location was outside Malta’s territorial waters. A total of 53 people were rescued alive.

The Malta Rescue Coordination Centre directed the fishing vessel and nearby ships to assist in the rescue. Several migrants fell into the sea while attempting to board the fishing vessel. Italy’s coast guard later recovered the bodies of the 11 victims. Italian authorities said the migrant boat had departed from Libya.

Malta’s Minister for Home Affairs and National Security, Glenn Bedingfield, described the loss of life as tragic and called for stronger European action against human traffickers and a coordinated Mediterranean migration policy to prevent future tragedies.