AFM rescues 61 migrants as one person is certified dead in Friday morning operation

A boat carrying migrants was rescued by Armed Forces of Malta personnel and escorted to Buġibba on Friday morning.

Sources told MaltaToday the boat was carrying 61 migrants, and one person was believed dead. Five were hospitalised.

According to an AFM spokesperson, Malta's Rescue Coordination Centre received a report of a boat carrying migrants in distress at around 8:43am.

(Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday)

(Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday)

The information received by the AFM also indicated some of the migrants were in the sea. AFM aerial and maritime units were immediately dispatched to the area to provide assistance.

All those on board were recovered and given immediate care, as many of them showed signs of severe hypothermia.

(Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday)

(Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday)

(Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday)

"After the AFM carried out the recovery, the individuals were subsequently attended to by other competent authorities,” the spokesperson said.

AFM personnel were on site in Buġibba, where the migrants were seen wrapped in sheets. 

The vessel is the first major migrant arrival in the country since 2020. In 2020 arrivals stood at 2,200, compared to the 238 in 2024.

Last month, while hosting the MED5 ministerial meeting held in Malta,­­ Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri said the country would continue its “fair but firm” approach to migration.

Camilleri pointed to the European Commission’s First Annual Migration Management Report, which confirmed that Greece, Italy, Spain, and Cyprus remain under significant migratory pressure, while Malta is not listed.