A total of 106 migrants have been brough to ashore this morning, after being spotted some 20 nautical miles off Malta by the AFM.

Three migrants were airlifted off the stricken dinghy immediately, as two of them are pregnant and the other had fallen ill.

A further four medical evacuations took place by the AFM boat Melita. One of the migrants was complaining of chest pains, two had fractured legs, and another was severely dehydrated. 

The rest of the group, comprising 99 in all, were brought ashore just before 1pm. 

An AFM spokesman told this portal that although a good number of migrants entered Malta this year, they have not reached the levels of 2008.

Earlier

The AFM is currently carrying out a delicate rescue operation, as multiple attempts to approach the migrants’ dinghy resulted in them all crowding to one side of it, leading to fears that the dinghy may capsize.

The AFM is now evacuating small groups in order to avoid having the dinghy capsize.