Five would-be illegal immigrants were reported missing Wednesday by a group of 85 Africans rescued in the sea off Malta.
The group, including a 9-month-old baby and 18 women, were initially spotted on board a dinghy floating some 97 nautical miles south of Malta.
Maltese sea rescue officials diverted a tanker in the area to provide assistance, while a German rescue helicopter based in Malta as part of the European Union's Frontex border-safeguarding operation also went to the scene.
The 85 would-be immigrants were provided with food and water before being transferred to a Maltese maritime rescue vessel.
It was not immediately clear whether a search would be carried out for the reported missing people.
Last week, in what is believed to be one of the worst tragedies involving would-be immigrants in the Mediterranean, some 70 people are believed to have drowned when they were swept off a dinghy.
Survivors told Maltese authorities that their vessel had set off from Libya in an attempt to reach Europe - a journey similar to those made by thousands of would-be immigrants each year.
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