All aboard Gaza aid flotilla confirmed safe after NGO reports drone attack
Valletta: A ship carrying humanitarian aid and activists heading for Gaza was bombed by drones while in international waters off Malta early on Friday, The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, an international NGO said.
It uploaded video footage showing a fire on one of its ships but did not indicate who could have been responsible for the attack.
The Maltese government said in a statement late on Friday that everyone on board was 'confirmed safe'.
'The vessel had 12 crew members on board and four civilian passengers; no casualties were reported,' the statement said, adding that a nearby tug had been directed to aid the vessel.
'The tug arrived on scene and began firefighting operations. By 1.28am, the fire was reported under control. An Armed Forces of Malta patrol vessel was also dispatched to provide further assistance,' the government said.
'By 2.13am, all crew were confirmed safe but refused to board the tug ... The ship remains outside territorial waters and is being monitored by the competent authorities.'
The ship issued an SOS distress call after being hit 31.5 kilometres east of Malta, to which Cyprus responded by dispatching a vessel, the charity said.
'The drone attack appears to have specifically targeted the ship's generator, and the vessel is now at risk of sinking with 30 international human rights activists on board,' the NGO said in a social media post.
Australian Tania Safi, one of four Australian activists who had been preparing to board the ship in Malta and journey to Gaza, expressed deep concern over the safety of those aboard the vessel. They revealed that the last update received indicated that the fire on board had been extinguished, but the ship was still 'filling with water very quickly.'
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