Valletta, Malta - Fifty-one would-be African immigrants have arrived in Malta in two groups in under 12 hours, authorities said Friday.

A boat carrying 22 men, five women and two babies, landed on the Mediterranean island on Friday morning, after 27 people were escorted to land on Thursday night.

Africans fleeing their home countries undertake such journeys, often in ramshackle vessels, with fatal results.

A third corpse was located in the sea off Malta on Wednesday, a find which together with the recovery of several life-jackets could indicate a shipwreck involving would-be immigrants, authorities said.

Malta, which has been grappling with the problem of illegal immigration for nearly eight years, has constantly appealed to other European Union member states for assistance.

The European Commission on Thursday agreed draft common regulations for the detention of migrants for 18 months. The proposals are to go before the European Parliament.

In the meantime, a report of an inquiry released by the Maltese government on Thursday showed that some immigrants at one of the island's detention centres were subjected to "undue physical treatment."

The incident dates back to an operation two months ago when detention service personnel tried to identify the ring-leaders of a riot a few days earlier. Tensions between detained immigrants and the soldiers hosting them are not uncommon. (dpa)