Malta has rescued a group of 95 migrants from a rubber dingy north of Libya.

The passengers issued a distress call but it took more than 33 hours until the Maltese authorities began the rescue operation.

The armed forces took them ashore near the capital Valletta.

The migrants, who were said to be from Eritrea, contacted Alarm Phone, a watchdog group that acts as first point of call for people adrift in the Mediterranean, reports the New York Times.

They were eventually rescued on Monday afternoon.

But observers say the incident has raised questions about the risk to human life posed by policies intended to deter migrants from crossing the Mediterranean.