Yahoo TV

A pregnant woman and eight children were among the 135 people rescued from a double-decker boat in the Mediterranean Sea near Malta on Thursday, March 14, according to the NGO that runs the Ocean Viking rescue vessel.

Crews aboard the rescue ship had reportedly picked up 224 people from several different boats between Wednesday and Thursday, bringing the total number of migrants aboard to 359 people.

One person picked up by the Ocean Viking who had been medically evacuated by the Italian Coast Guard on Wednesday has died, NGO SOS Mediterranee said.

The rescue vessel is headed toward the city of Ancona on Italy’s coast, the NGO said. Credit: SOS Mediterranee via Storyful