A second group of illegal migrants is being brought to Malta, raising the number of arrivals so far today to 56.

The first group of 28 was brought to Haywharf this morning by an AFM patrol boat. It consisted of 23 men and five women.

Their boat was located by an Italian fishing boat 48 miles off Malta.

The second group, of 26 men and two women, was intercepted by a patrol boat four miles off Ghar Lapsi.The AFM said the migrants were fighting and arguing among themselves, causing their boat to take in water. As a result another patrol boat and a rescue launch were sent to the scene.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.