Updated | Armed Forces of Malta rescue 84 migrants

The AFM rescued 84 persons who were in distress, migrants set to land in Malta this morning.

27 August 2013, 12:00am
by Staff Reporter

1 min read

84 migrants were brought in by the AFM this morning (Photo: Chris Mangion/MediaToday)

The Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) last night rescued a group of 84 migrants at sea. The migrants claiming to be Syrian, Eritrean and Nigerian were spotted on a rubber dinghy by the AFM and brought in at Hay Wharf just before 9am.

The AFM said that it became aware of a boat with persons on board reportedly in distress just after midnight.

The AFM operation centre immediately dispatched an AFM offshore patrol vessel P51 to monitor the situation and to render assistance if required.

The boat with 77 males and 7 females on board was located 18 nautical miles south of Malta.

Having assessed the situation with the dinghy drifting in rough seas, the migrants were transferred onboard the AFM vessel.