ROME

Nearly 100 irregular migrants rescued by a trade ship administrated by a Turkish crew were evacuated to Malta thanks to diplomatic efforts between the two countries on Tuesday.

The migrants were rescued on June 12 by the trade ship sailing under the flag of the Marshall Islands as their boats were on the brink of sinking, according to diplomatic sources.

The M/V Ugur Dadayli, en route to Susa port in Tunisia from Safakes province, rescued the migrants in Malta’s search-and-rescue territory in the Mediterranean Sea with the guidance of Maltese authorities.

After intense diplomacy efforts between Ankara and Valletta, the migrants were transferred to Malta with permission obtained through talks between the foreign ministries and embassies of the two countries.

* Writing by Dilan Pamuk in Ankara