As many as 16 illegal immigrants drowned when the small boat they were in capsized and overturned as they were being rescued by a Panamian cargo ship.

Rescue Malta was notified by the captain of the Panamian ship, which had sailed from Tunis, that at around 11am on Friday an eight-metre boat full of immigrants was sighted in very rough seas some 111 nautical miles south east of Malta.

Later, the same captain informed the Maltese authorities that despite the crew doing everything possible to save the immigrants, only nine were rescued and a dead body recovered. Further efforts to find other survivors and recover other bodies proved negative despite help given by another ship and by an AFM plane.

The survivors, all males, were later brought to Malta by ship.