25 migrants drown

Twenty-five illegal immigrants, including four women, were lost at sea and are presumed drowned, when their boat capsized in pitch darkness in an area 72 nautical miles south of Malta on Wednesday night, the army said.

There were only three survivors who were rescued by a tug boat and brought to Malta later in the day by an Armed Forces of Malta patrol boat.

Arrivals yesterday also included 28 other immigrants who landed at St Thomas Bay during the night. The AFM said its operations centre at Luqa Barracks was informed by the Greek rescue coordination centre that the tug boat Alexandra 5 had sighted a boat with illegal immigrants on board. At the time, the boat was heading in a northerly direction with 28 people on board.

AFM Captain James Louis Grech said the three survivors - two from Nigeria and one from Ghana - told rescuers that as soon as the immigrants saw the lights of the Alexandra 5 and the tug boat approaching, they went over to one side of the boat which capsized with all those on board ending up in the water.

The tug boat crew only managed to pluck the three men to safety.

The tug boat was then instructed by the AFM to proceed towards Malta to link up with patrol boat P52 and conduct a mid-sea transfer of the survivors.

This took place 40 miles off Malta at about 6 a.m.

The immigrants arrived at Haywharf at about 2.30 p.m. looking shocked and very tired. They immediately boarded a police bus which took them to the Police headquarters for questioning.

An AFM Islander aircraft was dispatched to the site where the boat capsized in an effort to try to find more survivors.

At about 3.22 a.m., the police informed the AFM that a boat with about 28 illegal immigrants on board had arrived at St Thomas Bay. The group included three women.

Patrol boat P23 was dispatched to the scene to assist as required.

The immigrants were taken by the police for further investigations.

Sources close to the AFM said another boatload of illegal immigrants was observed sailing off Filfla yesterday afternoon and continued sailing north.