Valletta, Malta  - A group of 84 Somali immigrants were rescued off Malta early Wednesday, officials said.

The 53 men, 29 women and two children were in distress in inclement weather when they were picked up by a Maltese army patrol boat. They were expected to land on the Mediterranean island later Wednesday.

The army received reports that the group was drifting at sea on

Tuesday from the local UNHCR representative offices in Malta, following a tip-off by a Somali source on the island.

The immigrants were on a 10-metre dinghy, 75 nautical miles from the Italian island of Lampedusa. They were not wearing lifejackets and the dinghy was taking in water, the army said. Their condition is still unknown.

The European Commission is today expected to unveil a set of proposals to promote the burden-sharing concept among member states where refugees are concerned.

Through the joint EU resettlement programme refugees from poor and war-hit third countries should have easier access to EU countries. The scheme, though voluntary, is aimed at cutting the number of immigrants seeking to reach Europe's shores aboard rickety boats or via unscrupulous human traffickers.

The EU's executive arm is also trying to ease the pressure on countries such as Italy, Malta and Spain which have long lamented that the EU is not doing enough to help.