A group of 84 migrants, including 18 women and 32 minors, have been brought to Malta this morning following an operation between the Armed Forces of Malta and two Italian Coast Guard vessels.

One of the women was taken to hospital with an injured leg. The others were in good health.

The migrants, who are all claiming to be Somali,  were found on a dinghy 88 nautical miles south-west off Malta and seen to be in distress.

The operation was initiated late last night following an alert from a satellite telephone on the migrants' craft.

A number of vessels were sent to the scene and the migrants' craft was located at 3.40am, and, following the migrants' rescueby the two Italian units, the decision was taken to disembark them in Malta as the nearest place of safety.

The central Mediterranean has seen a wave of migration with the onset of spring, with well over a thousand migrants arriving in the Italian island of Lampedusa.

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