Boat with 115 migrants escorted to Malta

A boatload of 115 migrants, mainly from Somalia, arrived in Malta yesterday evening.

The migrants, crammed on a 40-foot fishing boat, had sent out a distress signal that was picked up by the Italian authorities on Sunday. Since the boat was in the Maltese search and rescue area, the Italians informed the Armed Forces of Malta who immediately deployed a helicopter.

Army sources said the search was fruitless and hampered by bad weather conditions. The search continued on Monday with the help of a helicopter and a patrol boat but with no success.

At noon yesterday the rescue authorities in Rome informed the AFM that one of the Catania-based coast guard aircraft had sighted the migrants drifting with the current about 48 nautical miles off Malta.

The army reached the boat at about 2 p.m. and discovered that the vessel had a damaged propeller shaft. Accompanied by a patrol boat, the boat arrived at Haywharf at about 7.30 p.m.

The 115 migrants, who included 15 children and 30 women, are mainly from Somalia with seven claiming to be from Morocco.

This is the second group of migrants arriving in under a week after 262 migrants beached their boat in Marsaxlokk on Sunday at about 6 a.m.

Most of the migrants who arrived on Sunday were immediately repatriated after it was established that they hailed from Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, Libya, Pakistan and India. The group also included 30 Nigerians.