Migrant critical after boat capsizes

An illegal immigrant was in a critical condition after he almost drowned while trying to land in Marsaxlokk along with 29 others early yesterday morning.

He was rescued by a soldier who jumped into the water after a boat with 30 exhausted immigrants on board capsized.

The latest arrivals mean 300 immigrants have landed in Malta in the last four days, forcing soldiers and the immigration authorities to work overtime to process and house them.

At about 6.45 a.m. yesterday, an anonymous caller alerted the army's operations centre that a white boat had been spotted about two miles outside Marsaxlokk harbour.

A 2nd Regiment Air Squadron Bulldog aircraft on a coastal surveillance and training flight was close to the area at the time.

A search and rescue boat from the Maritime Squadron's base in Haywharf was sent to the area. Asked what they wanted, the all-male group said they were very tired and wanted to land in Malta, sources told The Times.

As the rescue craft approached the immigrants' boat and threw a tow line, the men on board rushed to one side causing the vessel to capsize, sources close to the army said.

All the men were plucked from the sea, except for one who found himself in difficulty and started to drown. One of the rescuers, Gunner George Gatt, jumped into the sea to retrieve him, the sources said.

Once on board, first aid was applied and a pulse re-attained. The SAR boat's captain requested immediate airlift to St Luke's Hospital. A helicopter and another patrol boat were dispatched to the area.

Speaking in Parliament on Monday, Home Affairs Minister Tonio Borg said there was clearly a criminal organisation behind the transportation of migrants, especially since most of them arrived in groups of about 29.

Legislation is to be tightened so that applications for refugee status which were manifestly unfounded or frivolous would be dismissed and the applicants deported immediately.

Italian Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini is expected in Malta today. Italy and Malta put forward a joint request for help in connection with irregular migration during an informal EU External Relations Council earlier this month.

Italy is equally facing something of an immigration crisis. A total of 315 immigrants, claiming to be Pakistanis, landed on the island of Lampedusa early yesterday morning - a day after another 245 had poured into Ragusa, Sicily.