Four migrants brought ashore for medical care

Three immigrants and a baby, forming part of a much larger group of 80, were brought ashore yesterday afternoon because they required medical assistance.

The two men, a woman and the child were helped by the Armed Forces of Malta who escorted them to Haywharf while on their way to Italy on a 10-metre long rubber dinghy.

The dinghy had been sighted on Saturday morning by a German police helicopter during a Frontex patrol to the south of Malta. An AFM patrol boat was sent to the dinghy's reported location and noted the group included 16 women.

An Italian aircraft and a helicopter, dispatched from Lampedusa, were also closely monitoring the dinghy's movements.

The immigrants were taken on board the Denaro, an Italian Guardia Di Finanza boat, which had joined the AFM patrol boat in the operation. They were examined once on the Denaro.

The four immigrants, who required more medical assistance, were transferred to the AFM patrol boat, which arrived at Haywharf at about 1.30 p.m., yesterday.