All of the reported 90 people stranded aboard a wrecked boat off Libya are alive, the charity Mediterranea Saving Humans tweeted, thanking Italy's navy for rescuing the migrants on Thursday.
"We are overjoyed to learn that there are no victims reported following the distress signal sent yesterday and which we feared could be the umpteenth tragedy. We thank the crew and commander of the Italian navy ship P490 Cigala Fulgosi for the rescue operation," read the tweet.
But in a second tweet, the NGO said it did not understand why the migrant boat, which sent a mayday on Wednesday had to "wait so long, putting these people in grave danger."
"We ask for the boat's passengers to be taken to a safe port. They come from the Libyan inferno and have already suffered enough," the tweet went on .
Earlier, the NGO had tweeted that a five-year-girl was said to have died aboard the wrecked boat and that if the report were true, the Italian navy would be bear responsibility for her death.
Mediterranea Saving Humans also claimed the Italian navy had waited 24 hours before going to rescue the stranded migrants (who reportedly included pregnant women as well as minors).
Anti-migrant interior minister and deputy premier Matteo Salvini hit back at the NGO's criticisms of Italy's navy calling them "unfounded and slanderous".
