A Maltese patrol boat rescued about 80 migrants in a drifting dinghy off the island early on Thursday, but another 20 people were feared to have perished, Reuters reported. Along with southern Italy, Malta is one of the main points of arrival for migrants attempting the crossing from North Africa into Europe. A government spokesman in the Maltese capital Valletta said the migrants appeared to have been in the dinghy for a number of days and needed medical treatment. He said they had told their rescuers that there had been 100 people in the boat, but 20 had died. The nationality of the migrants is not yet known.
