A three-day old baby who survived without any sustenance was among the 55 illegal immigrants who landed in two different groups in Malta early yesterday morning.

The mother and child are recovering at St Luke's Hospital, though they are both in good health, according to a hospital spokesman.

The woman had given birth to the child while onboard the craft, highlighting the tide of desperation hitting southern Europe.

The incident is reminiscent of a similar case in June last year when a Somali woman gave birth to a boy, minutes after being rescued by the Armed Forces of Malta.

The immigrants on board the first group of arrivals claimed they had been at sea for seven days.

On Monday night, the Spanish patrol boat Rio Cervantes, forming part of the Frontex operations, intercepted a six-metre long boat carrying 26 persons. As the migrant vessel was 55 miles off Lampedusa and 66 miles from Malta, the Spanish vessel decided to take on board all the migrants, especially the mother and child, as both required medical assistance.

According to AFM sources, the newborn had not consumed any milk or had any sustenance since birth. The Spanish vessel proceeded towards the nearest safe port - Lampedusa.

But even though it was willing to take the migrants, the Italian island could not provide medical assistance to the mother and child and recommended that the Spanish vessel proceed towards Malta instead.

No fewer than 530 fleeing Africans have landed on the small Italian island since Sunday, prompting the near collapse of its tiny reception centre.

Considering the urgent medical needs of the mother and child, Malta immediately accepted the request made by the Italian authorities and the Spanish patrol boat.

Medical assistance was provided to both mother and child upon arrival at Haywharf.

Later, another 28 illegal immigrants were rescued from the high seas some 31 nautical miles off Valletta.

The AFM's operations centre was earlier informed by the US Navy's Sixth Fleet base in Naples, Italy that one of its warships was assisting a wooden boat full of migrants. The army immediately sent a patrol boat to assist.

Given that their boat was unsafe, the migrants, probably all Nigerian, asked to land in Malta.

Three would-be illegal immigrants perished over the weekend as they were being transferred to an army vessel.