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Illegal migrants phone for help off Malta

29 Dec 2008 19:38:36 GMT
Source: Reuters

VALLETTA Dec 29 (Reuters) - Malta picked up 139 illegal migrants on Monday after they used a satellite telephone to raise the alarm when their boat ran into trouble, the armed forces said.

The migrants called the Italian rescue services in Rome who in turn alerted the Maltese authorities to the boat, which was found some 80 nautical miles south of the Mediterranean island, an armed forces spokesman said.

The migrants are believed to have come from Somalia and Ghana. The group included just over 100 men and 10 pregnant women, the spokesman added.

"We have not had arrivals of illegal immigrants in December for years", an army spokesman said.

Malta has seen a record influx of migrants this year, despite following a strict detention policy which sees most migrants detained for 18 months. (Editing by Jon Boyle)

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