Around 227 illegal immigrants, allegedly hailing from Somalia and all crammed onto a 60-foot long blue wooden fishing vessel, were landed at the Wied il-Buni fishermen’s quay in Birzebbugia earlier on Wednesday afternoon, the Armed Forces of Malta confirmed

The group includes 22 women and two small children.

AFM and police resources were immediately mobilised to tackle this large influx.

It is the second big group to arrive in Malta this month, after 262 arrived in the beginning of February. However most of these were marked for immediate repatriation as there is an agreement with the country of origin. Such an agreement has not been signed with war-torn Somalia.