Migrants rescued

A group of 82 African migrants were taken ashore at Haywharf this morning after they were rescued by the Armed Forces of Malta when their craft was seen drifting 68 nautical miles south of Malta. An AFM King Air B200 maritime patrol aircraft located the migrants’ craft at 12.22am following an extended search and a patrol boat was sent to the site to render assistance. When it was verified that the migrants’ craft was disabled and that the people on board required rescue, the migrants were taken on the patrol boat. The group includes 10 women, one of them pregnant, and a baby. They are claiming to from Somalia. Another 260 immigrants arrived in Lampedusa on three boats.