A group of some 250 migrants in distress were rescued Thursday off the coast of Malta and were on their way to the Mediterranean island, the Armed Forces of Malta told dpa.
A merchant ship helped rescue the migrants, believed to have departed from Libya. They are to be transported to the island via two patrol boats. The rescue operation was the biggest of its kind by Malta this year.
The influx of migrants to the small Mediterranean island has been cushioned by Mare Nostrum, Italy’s migrant rescue operation.
Thursday’s news comes one day after the European Commission said it would beef up its patrol operations in the Mediterranean.
Figures released by the UN Refugee Agency show that just 308 migrants have arrived in Malta this year, far below the average of 1,400 annual landings recorded since 2003.
GNA
PDC
