Valletta, Malta - A diplomatic spat was brewing Monday between Malta and Italy after Maltese authorities refused to take 65 would-be immigrants rescued from a dinghy by an Italian warship.

The group was picked up late Sunday some 40 nautical miles south west the Italian islet of Lampedusa and some 115 nautical miles from Malta.

Italian authorities say the area falls under Malta's rescue responsibilities, a claim disputed by Maltese officials.

The immigrants, including a pregnant woman, were being kept on board the Italian vessel, while officials from the two Mediterranean states were trying to resolve the impasse, sources told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

The spat follows recent tensions in both Malta and Lampedusa over illegal immigration, including migrants rioting over conditions at reception centres and repatriation procedures.

It also came just two days after the European Union's top justice official, Jacques Barrot, visited both islands to check conditions in migrant camps.

Over 600 immigrants have landed in Malta since the beginning of January, an unprecedented number for the winter season that has compounded overcrowding at reception centres in the European Union's most densely populated member state. (dpa)