Second group of rescued migrants brought to Malta

A group of 97 migrants was rescued 44 nautical miles south of Malta on Sunday, after their dinghy took in water.

They were brought to Malta by the Armed Forces of Malta on Sunday.

This was the second group of migrants landing in Malta in 24 hours after another 114 migrants were brought to shore early in the morning after they were rescued by the AFM. The government has confirmed they will remain in Malta.

The earlier rescue was sparked during a routine patrol by the AFM within Malta’s Search and Rescue Region. They were brought to Malta at 12:30am after being spotted on an inflatable boat that was drifting at sea. 

22 are women. No information is yet available on whether there were any children or unaccompanied migrants in the group.

The migrants come from Sudan, Cote d'Ivoire, Somalia, Bangladesh, Mali, Libya, Yemen, Guinea, Morocco, Nigeria, Egypt, Ethiopia and Senegal, the spokeswoman said when contacted.

Malta and Italy have clamped down on migrant rescue vessels operated by NGOs, triggering concerns that an unknown number of asylum seekers are dying at sea. There are currently three rescue vessels being detained in Malta, a controversial decision that followed Italy's refusal to take in migrants rescued by NGOs.