Malta coordinated the rescue of 19 migrants who departed Libya on a fibre-glass boat and ended up in distress within the Maltese Search and Rescue Region (SRR) some 50NM south of the island, the Armed Forces of Malta said in a statement.

Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC) Malta was informed of this boat by MRCC Rome and the Libyan Coast Guard when it was still in Libyan search and rescue region.

An AFM maritime patrol aircraft and a patrol vessel were dispatched to locate the boat. After a while, the boat ended up in distress and shortly after the migrants were provided by life-jackets by the AFM patrol vessel, it capsized.

17 migrants were successfully rescued immediately by the AFM while a search for two reportedly missing was conducted by means of AFM air and naval assets. The two missing migrants eventually located and rescued on board the AFM patrol vessel. On board were 17 males, a pregnant woman, and a child. All migrants are now in good health.