Abandoned wooden boat used in transport of migrants found in Xlendi caves

A 32-foot wooden boat, likely to have been used to transport immigrants, was found abandoned in one of the caves below Xlendi on Friday.

An eye witness told MaltaToday the boat had two damaged outboard engines and clothes were strewn on the deck. Photos show a date sprayed on the deck - Christmas Day - and what appears to be a boat number.

The eyewitness said there were no people on the boat when it was discovered. The boat ran aground inside one of the caves and was eventually towed to shore by an Armed Forces of Malta dinghy.

The boat had two damaged outboard engines and clothes were strewn around the deck (Photo: Chris Mangion)

It is unclear how the boat ended up in Xlendi but police sources believe the migrants aboard may have been picked up by another boat out at sea and the wooden vessel abandoned off Gozo. There have been no recent confirmed reports of migrants landing in Malta after arriving here on their own steam.

The central Mediterranean has seen a number of boat crossings over the past few weeks as immigrants attempt to flee Libya and make their way to Europe.