THE MALTESE government was accused of ignoring the plight of about 35 stranded refugees in its waters today.

Refugee rescue group Sea-Watch said its reconnaissance plane, the Seabird 1, had spotted a boat in distress in Malta’s Mediterranean search-and-rescue zone, asking on social media: “Would Malta leave 35 wealthy European tourists waiting in a sinking boat?”

The NGO called on its followers to share the post while tagging the Maltese government and the Times of Malta newspaper to “force accountability.”

Sea-Watch said it had alerted maritime authorities to the distress case, but so far no help had arrived.

“Malta knows. And Frontex [the European Border and Coastguard agency] is on the scene — Europe’s €1.1 billion border agency, doing the bare minimum.

“[Around] 35 people, dangerously overcrowded, no life jackets. They are waving for help.”

The refugees’ fate is not yet known.

Seabird 1 activists also saw a Libyan Coastguard vessel intercept an inflatable boat carrying about 42 people inside Malta’s waters on Tuesday.

Above a photograph taken from the aircraft of people jumping out of a Libyan vessel and swimming out into the open sea, Sea-Watch said: “these individuals were abducted by Libyan militias and taken back to Libya.

“[Twenty] people in the water tried to escape the militias and preferred the risk of drowning over being returned.

“The militias entered the Maltese search-and-rescue zone unhindered. Our [rescue ship] Aurora was only a few miles away and could have saved the people, but the EU’s priority is to prevent people from reaching Europe by any means necessary.”