Migrants rescued from drifting boat

A group of 28 illegal immigrants arrived in Malta yesterday evening after they were rescued at sea by the motor vessel Norfolk Express to the east of Malta.

A spokesman for the Armed Forces of Malta said the army received information from the US Naval Command in Naples that a US Navy plane had spotted a boat adrift.

The rescue coordination centre (RCC) in Malta asked the Norfolk Express to carry out the rescue and the migrants were taken on board the motor vessel at about 11 a.m.

Meanwhile, an AFM patrol boat was dispatched to the Norfolk Express to take the group, which included seven women and a nine-month-old boy.

The rescue operation was coordinated by the RCC Malta, the US Naval Command and the crew on board the Norfolk Express.