AFM patrol boats are this evening bringing to Malta 115 illegal immigrants found in distress on a sinking dinghy some 20 miles south of Malta.

The drifting dinghy was first reported by a fisherman and two patrol boats and a rescue launch were deployed to the scene.

According to initial reports, the migrants are 81 men and 34 women. They are claiming to be Somali and had left from Libya.

Some were sea sick.

The crew of the rescue launch gave the migrants food, water and life jackets before they started to be transferred to the patrol boats.

The first group arrived in Malta at around 8 p.m.

Another boat, carrying 84 migrants, was spotted 90 miles off Malta earlier this week but returned to Libya after being intercepted by the Italian Navy. A baby born on the boat was airlifted to Malta with its mother for treatment at Mater Dei Hospital.

The last arrival of migrants was a group of 44 who landed at Marsascala on July 25.

Video shows the first few migrants to be brought to Malta after they jumped into the sea on seeing the Maltese launch approach..