A weak 2.5m blue shark was washed ashore at Pembroke this afternoon.

Officials from Sharklab Malta and the National Aquarium made several attempts to rescue the shark back to safety and they were finally successful in the evening.

The blue shark is an "absolutely harmless" shark with no reported fatal attacks on humans, Greg Nowell from Sharklab Malta told Times of Malta.

"It is absolutely harmless and there is no cause for alarm. Its mouth is small and eats mainly small fish," Mr Nowell assured readers.

He said it was remarkably rare to have such a shark swimming so close to shore, though it was probably washed ashore by the strong currents.

Preferring cooler waters, blue sharks migrate long distances, such as from New England to South America. The species is listed as near-threatened.