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VALLETTA, Malta (AP) — The Maltese army has rescued 86 sub-Saharan African migrants found drifting in a dinghy, but as many as 20 others are feared dead. Survivors reported that other migrants died during the voyage and were thrown overboard.
The army initially rescued 87, but one later died at the hospital, and two were in critical condition, Malta's police said Thursday.
The remaining survivors, all men from Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea and Ivory Coast, will be kept in Ebola quarantine for 21 days. Initial Ebola tests proved negative, not surprising given that many spent time in Libya.
Survivors said other migrants died and were thrown overboard. The Maltese army said no bodies were found in the area where the dinghy was intercepted, but Prime Minister Joseph Muscat tweeted that 20 had died.
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