Italian coast guard boat rescues 70 illegal migrants

The Italian Coast Guard vessel Fiorillo brought ashore 70 illegal immigrants at Haywharf, Pieta at about 8 yesterday evening.

At about 8.20 in the morning, the Armed Forces of Malta were informed by MRCC Rome that they were contacted by satellite phone by one of about 70 people who were on a boat at sea.

By 8.50 a.m., an AFM Air Wing Alouette rescue-helicopter was scrambled to search for the migrants' boat which was later sighted 37 nautical miles south west off Malta.

The AFM patrol boat P32 was dispatched and conducted a search for the migrants' boat without success. Contact via satellite phone was lost by then.

At 4.30 p.m., the Italian Military Mission's coast guard informed the AFM that the migrants' boat had been located by some fishing vessels, and that the Italian Coast Guard vessel Fiorillo was going to recover the migrants who were in fairly good health.

Earlier in the day, a boat carrying 27 illegal immigrants, all male Somalis, landed at the Malta Freeport, Birżebbuġa, at about 5 a.m., the police said.

In a separate statement the Armed Forces noted that, at about 3 a.m., the Marsaxlokk pilot boat informed the operations centre that a boat had been spotted near the harbour.

A search and rescue launch escorted the immigrants ashore where they were handed over to the police.