44 migrants rescued by Open Arms in Mediterranean disembark in Malta

The Badalona-based NGO headed by renowned humanitarian Òscar Camps, Open Arms, rescued 44 migrants early Sunday morning in the Mediterranean's international waters.

Buenos días.
El #OpenArms localiza esta madrugada un viejo y precario cascarón con 43 personas a la deriva en aguas internacionales, 13 son menores, 2 mujeres, una de ellas embarazada. Nos mantenemos a la espera de instrucciones de las autoridades maltesas. pic.twitter.com/qH4rizgIqn

— Oscar Camps (@campsoscar) October 27, 2019

Open Arms handed the migrants over to the Maltese authorities, who have since taken them to shore.

Among those the Catalan NGO rescued, there were 13 minors and 2 women, one of whom was pregnant.   

On Monday, after having transferred them onto a Maltese vessel, Camps tweeted that "hopefully Europe will respect their rights."

🔴#ULTIMAHORA 
Las 44 personas que rescatamos y acogimos a bordo, ya navegan rumbo a Malta. Las hemos transferido a las autoridades maltesas y pronto llegarán a tierra.
Ojalá Europa respete sus derechos pic.twitter.com/HlBaNSFRDW

— Oscar Camps (@campsoscar) October 28, 2019

Unlike other times in the recent past, this Open Arms rescue operation was carried out relatively smoothly as Malta offered to take the migrants in less than 24 hours after they first picked up at sea.

Open Arms was temporarily impounded in the Italian island of Lampedusa in August, where it disembarked over 160 migrants after an ordeal that lasted 19 days while it awaited permission to dock.

The stand-off in August between the ship loaded with the migrants it had picked up off the coast of Libya and the Mediterranean powers reluctant to grant the vessel a safe port sparked a debate on migration to Europe in the international media.