Malta has rescued a group of 61 migrants who were on board a boat in distress in the Mediterranean, the Maltese army said Saturday, Daily Sabah reported.
"Their dinghy is drifting and the motor isn't working. The boat is also showing signs of deflation," a government spokesman said earlier, noting that one of the migrants had been unconscious.
The rescue came hours after Italy's deputy prime minister uploaded a picture of the packed dinghy heading north in the Mediterranean.
"Exclusive images of a dinghy with 70 immigrants in a boat with a powerful engine, in Maltese waters. Will someone do something to intervene or will they send them once again towards Italy?" Salvini said in a tweet.
Italy and Malta have been at loggerheads over who should assume responsibility for migrants rescued at sea.
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