UPDATE- Gaza-bound humanitarian aid ship rescued by Malta after drone attack

UPDATED WITH UN RAPPORTEUR'S REMARKS ON X ON THE INCIDENT

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) – A humanitarian aid ship bound for Gaza with 16 people on board left crippled by a drone attack was rescued by Maltese forces, said local media on Friday.

Citing a government statement, public broadcaster TVM announced that a tugboat with firefighting equipment provided the Freedom Flotilla ship with assistance after it made an SOS distress call.

The drone attack had left the ship without power and placed it “at great risk of sinking,” said a press release by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition.

A Maltese Armed Forces patrol boat was also sent to the scene after a request from the tugboat, the Maltese government said.

“At around 2.13 am (0013GMT) it was confirmed that those on board were all safe, but all refused to leave the ship,” it said, adding that the situation was brought under control by 3.45 am (0145GMT).

The vessel, called the Conscience, is still in international waters and is being monitored by authorities, it added.

Commenting on the incident, Francesca Albanese, the UN rapporteur for Palestine, said on X that she had gotten a distress call from people on board the Freedom Flotilla.

"I call on concerned state authorities, including maritime authorities, to support the ship and its crew as needed," she said.

She added: "I trust the competent authorities will also ascertain the facts and intervene appropriately."