Updated: 139 illegal immigrants brought ashore
Group includes 10 pregnant women
A total of 139 illegal immigrants have been rescued 87 nautical miles, south-south-west of Malta by an Armed Forces of Malta patrol boat and have been brought to Hay Wharf.
The immigrants contacted the Italian Coast Gaurd's MRCC station in Rome with a satellite phone yesterday.
The AFM's own Rescue Co-ordination Centre at Luqa Barracks monitored developments and earlier today flew out an Air Wing Islander (AW-19) aircraft to the area where the migrants were thought to be.
Simultaneously, the Maritime Squadron's Protector-class patrol-vessel, P-52, under the command of Captain Etienne Scicluna, went to the search area to render assistance as required.
Once the illegal migrants' vessel was sighted by the Islander aircraft and accosted by the AFM patrol-vessel, it was ascertained that there were 103 men and 36 women, 10 of whom appeared pregnant.
Initial reports indicate that the group is made up of Somalis, Ghanaians and Nigerians.