More boat people brought in

Another group of 48 illegal immigrants arrived in Malta yesterday, taking the total that has arrived since last January close to 1,000.

The new group, made up of 48 men, were brought in by the army to Haywharf at about 4.30 a.m.

Another boatload of 20 illegal immigrants was expected to arrive late last night.

Boatloads have been arriving on a daily basis over the past days. A group of 25 arrived on Wednesday and another 28 on Thursday.

A boat which arrived on Tuesday night brought the biggest number of immigrants - 266. They were mainly Egyptians and Moroccans and are being repatriated.