VALLETTA, Malta, Oct. 17 (UPI) -- Maltese officials said more than 100 migrants arrived at Marsamxett Thursday aboard a patrol boat 24 hours after their boat was spotted in rough seas.
U.S. naval officials said a U.S. Navy crew rescued more than 100 men from the boat in rough water in the central Mediterranean Wednesday, CNN reported.
The Navy said 128 men, between the ages of 20 and 30, were taken aboard the USS San Antonio, an amphibious transport dock ship, which answered a call from the Maltese government.
The Maltese government said the migrants were from Somalia. A Maltese military statement said the men would be taken to Maltese Grand Harbor and turned over to the Maltese coast guard.
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, who is on a mission in Israel, said Wednesday the migrants were brought to Malta because they were in distress and Malta was the closest port, The Times of Malta reported.
He said the priority was to save lives and he did not want to see another tragedy unfold.
The Mediterranean has been the site of two deadly shipwrecks in recent weeks in which nearly 400 people have been killed.
