Updated 8.10 p.m.
The government said this evening that a patrol boat was bringing 66 migrants to Malta for humanitarian reasons because of the precarious situation they were in.
The statement was issued after the patrol boat rescued the migrants just 24 miles off Lampedusa. Italy refused to let the patrol boat take the migrants to the Italian island, despite it being the nearest harbour.
The Italian authorities had initially appeared to be cooperating with Malta in the rescue operation but when the Maltese boat arrived just off Italian territorial waters, it was intercepted by two Italian launches and told not to proceed further.
At least one of the migrants on board the patrol boat was reported to need urgent hospital treatment.
The migrants were picked up from a dinghy which was drifting after having run out of fuel.
The case rekindled the controversy between Malta and Italy which erupted earlier this month when Italy had initially refused entry to a Turkish freighter which had rescued 140 migrants, also off Lampedusa. It had insisted that the migrants should be taken to Malta, since it was responsible for the search and rescue area.
Malta had argued that in terms of international conventions, they should be taken to the nearest safe port, which was Lampedusa. Italy eventually relented and the migrants were landed in Agrigento in Sicily.
Italian and Maltese ministers subsequently met in Brussels to discuss the issue, but reportedly held firm to their positions.
EU Home Affairs Commissioner Jacques Barrot had agreed that the migrants should be taken to the closest harbour.
Sources said that in the latest case, the location of the migrants was four times closer to Lampedusa than to Malta.
GOVERNMENT 'TO COMMUNICATE' WITH ITALY OVER CASE
The government in a statement issued at 8 p.m. said it would "communicate" with Italy over the case. It said the migrants had been rescued by the AFM because they were in distress.
"The Maltese Armed Forces brought the migrants to Malta because of the precarious situation they were in. The decision was taken solely for humanitarian reasons."
The government said that migrants who were not eligible for protection would be repatriated as soon as possible.