Armed Forces of Malta rescue 87 migrants

VALLETTA, March 6 (Xinhua) -- The Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) were involved in an operation on Tuesday that led to 87 migrants being rescued, The Maltese government said in a statement on Wednesday.

According to The statement, Malta was informed by The Rome rescue coordination centre on Monday about a group of migrants on wooden boat who were in distress.

The migrants were eventually intercepted on Tuesday night, some 55 km south of Lampedusa, one of The Pelagie Islands, in souThern Italy.

The government said that an Italian navy vessel operating under Frontex -- The EU border control agency -- was originally dispatched to assist in The rescue but was unable to provide any assistance due to a technical fault it developed.

The migrants were rescued by The AFM, arriving in Malta on Wednesday morning.