Waves of illegal immigrants continue to cross the Mediterranean with no fewer than 136 nationals from sub-Saharan Africa landing in Malta in less than 24 hours.
The last two groups of 26 and 27 migrants were brought ashore late last night.
At 7.04 p.m., the Italian fishing vessel Pagone informed the AFM that about 12 miles south of Malta they had sighted a boatload of illegal migrants.
The party of 25 males and 1 female were intercepted by AFM Maritime Squadron Bremse-class patrol boat P-32 at 8.10 p.m.
At 8.30 p.m., after a mid-sea transfer of the migrants from the Pagone, the P-32 took in tow the migrants' boat.
The Armed Forces of Malta said that at about 10.45 a.m. yesterday, their Operations Centre overheard a radio conversation between Italian fishing vessel Alto Mare and a Guardia di Finanza patrol vessel, saying that the fishing vessel had rescued 27 male illegal migrants from a boat that capsized about 75 nautical miles south of the island.
The fishing vessel had a tuna pen in tow but stopped to provide assistance. The rescued men were in bad shape, and one required medical attention, the AFM said.
The AFM Maritime Squadron Protector-class patrol vessel P51 was sent out to bring the migrants ashore.
At about 7 yesterday morning, the police were informed that a boatload of illegal immigrants had been seen alongside the quay at Wied iż-Żurrieq.
The migrants had already gone ashore when the police arrived to investigate. The group consisted of 26 males, all in a good state of health, who were handed over to Immigration Police.
Earlier yesterday morning the Armed Forces of Malta brought in 84 illegal immigrants, including six women and a boy, rescued in three different operations.
Twenty-eight of them had been picked up about 55 nautical miles off Malta in a boat alongside a tuna-pen on Sunday.
The migrants, all Somalis and including five women, claimed that their group had originally numbered 34, and that six of their party had gone missing.
Later on Sunday another boatload of illegal migrants had been spotted 30 nautical miles south of Malta and was intercepted by a patrol boat.
Then, in the evening, an AFM helicopter conducting a routine aerial patrol around the Maltese coast had sighted another boatload of migrants some 27 miles south of Malta.
The patrol boat with the other migrants on board was diverted to pick up the second group. The whole group arrived at Haywharf in the early hours of yesterday.
With reference to yesterday's report titled 84 Illegal Immigrants Brought Ashore, the P-52 AFM patrol vessel refuelled patrol boat P-32 and not the migrants' boat.