Valletta, Malta  - A group of 260 would-be illegal immigrants landed in Malta Sunday morning, one of the largest-ever groups to reach the Mediterranean island.

Witnesses said the immigrants, including two young girls and a pregnant woman, were "packed like sardines" on a large fishing boat.

Police on the scene said the migrants claimed they had left from Libya and they originated from various African countries. Unusually, there were also 12 Kurdish people on board. The immigrants said they had been on the boat for two days.

The landing is the biggest single arrival in several years. A group of 139 migrants was rescued off Malta on December 29 and another group of 161 were brought to Malta in January. It is very uncommon for immigrants to take the treacherous journey during the winter months.

A record number of immigrants fleeing from Africa reached Malta, the smallest and most densely populated EU state last year. Malta has long been calling for assistance from Brussels as it says it cannot cope with the problem itself.

The migrants were believed to have been transferred to detention centres on the island. dpa