Immigrants left floating in sea

TWENTY-SEVEN illegal immigrants spent a day at sea holding on to buoys around a giant tuna net as the Maltese and Libyan governments argued over who should save them from drowning.

They were picked up eventually by an Italian patrol vessel. The men - Africans of various nationalities - had paid for a passage from Libya to Europe in an open boat that foundered on Saturday.

Soon after their boat went down they were spotted by the Maltese tug Boudafel, which was towing a huge tuna-breeding plant towards Spain.

The tug was ordered by her owners not to take the men on board because that would have interrupted her voyage.

The men were transferred after 24 hours to the Italian naval vessel Orione, which was in the area searching for another boatload of migrants that had become known as the "phantom boat".