A statement said that at around 11.30am, the AFM were informed by Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Rome that a French patrol military aircraft had sighted a small boat with about nine persons on board 39 miles south-west of Malta.

An AFM Islander located the boat and a rescue operation was immediately coordinated with Melita II to bring the boat inshore. One of the people on board was air-lifted by AFM helicopter and flown to hospital as he was in need of medical attention.

The illegal immigrants, all of whom are men, disembarked at the AFM Maritime Squadron base at Hay Wharf and were handed over to police officers for further investigation.