A group of 35 Egyptian men, who were aboard a boat packed with 262 immigrants that entered Malta illegally earlier this month, were yesterday returned to their homeland.

The Egyptians were flown to Cairo on a chartered Air Malta plane and were escorted by 71 policemen, according to aviation rules. They were deported following checks and investigations by immigration police.

On February 1, a group of 262 immigrants, crammed in a large wooden boat, landed in Marsaxlokk. Unlike other immigrants who land on Malta's shores, this group were not from sub-Saharan Africa and, therefore, were automatically disqualified from seeking refugee or humanitarian status.

Some claimed to be Kurdish while others said they were from Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, Libya, Pakistan and India.

Yesterday's 35 Egyptians were the first of this group to be repatriated and more are expected to be sent back home in the coming days, once the paperwork is sorted out, a Justice Ministry spokesman explained.