A total of 56 irregular migrants landed in Malta yesterday.

A group of 24 irregular migrants landed at St George’s Bay, Birzebbuga. The police received reports that a boat with irregular migrants was sighted in Marsaxlokk Bay at around 10am. The Mobile Squad immediately rushed to the scene and monitored the boat and the migrants. The group consisted of 20 men and four women.

Also yesterday, the Armed Forces of Malta’s Operations’ Centre at Luqa Barracks was informed at around 7.20pm by the Italian-registered tugboat Galeardo that it had sighted a group of irregular migrants on a boat some seven nautical miles south of Malta .

The AFM rescue launch Melita 1 was immediately dispatched from the AFM Maritime Squadron base at Haywharf, Floriana, to assist as required. Onboard the migrants’ boat, seven children (one of whom is a baby), four women and 21 men were found. The 32 irregular migrants requested to be landed in Malta.

Very soon after, the Bremse-class inshore patrol boat P-32 was redeployed to the area to recover the migrants and bring them to Haywharf base.

Police investigations are still under way.