A CHARITY refugee rescue ship saved the lives of over 140 people in the central Mediterranean within Malta’s search-and-rescue (SAR) zone this weekend.

The Open Arms, an NGO rescue ship operated by the Spanish charity of the same name, picked up 40 people — including a three-month-old baby — on Friday night after the Star went to press.

Then on Saturday the ship was alerted to another boat carrying around 106 people within Malta’s SAR zone again.

“A few minutes after rescuing 106 people on high seas,” Open Arms tweeted yesterday, “the boat capsized and sank with the arrival of a storm and waves of up to four metres (12 feet).

“Today we woke up with 146 people sheltered on deck and finally safe.”

An Open Arms spokeswoman told the Star yesterday morning that Malta had refused to allow the ship to disembark the rescued in any of its ports.

The ship is in conversation with Italy, the Star understands.