Over 70 illegal immigrants arrive in four boats

A total of 73 illegal immigrants landed or were brought into Malta in less than 24 hours yesterday.

A group of 21 Somalis were brought in by an AFM patrol boat yesterday evening after they were rescued by a ship. The Somalis were rescued after the Maltese-registered vessel Noda Star reported there was a small crippled craft some 80 nautical miles south of Malta.

Another 17 Somalis arrived at the bay known as Ghar Ahmar in Marsaxlokk and the immigrants were taken into police custody at about 8 a.m. The immigrants came on a five-metre-long boat.

Another 17 immigrants were brought ashore after their boat was intercepted off Xghajra. When they were brought ashore, they claimed to be Palestinians but when questioned by the police, three said they were Pakistani and the rest were suspected to be Egyptians.

The first immigrants to be brought ashore late on Monday night were a group of 18 Somalis, including two women. They were on a boat drifting some 60 nautical miles off the south east coast of Malta after they ran out of fuel. The AFM was informed about the drifting boat by the Rome Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre. An AFM Islander aircraft and a patrol boat went to the rescue and brought the immigrants ashore.

As the patrol boat was involved in the rescue operation, two other small boats were sighted but they kept going on their own steam and contact was lost.

Last year Malta had a total of 286 immigrants and 1,680 in 2002.