A heavily pregnant migrant was rescued from a rubber dinghy 170 miles south of Malta yesterday afternoon after a doctor was lowered to the craft to assist the woman along with another migrant, who is also pregnant.

The alert was raised by the master of a fishing boat who reported coming across a dinghy carrying a number of migrants, including women and children.

Due to the condition of one of the pregnant women, an Italian Military Mission helicopter lowered an army doctor onto the boat to assist the women. The two women were subsequently transferred to a patrol boat which was expected at the Armed Forces of Malta Maritime Squadron in Haywharf, Pietà last night. Another patrol boat was monitoring the dinghy.

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