VALLETTA - Sixty-five migrants that were on board the vessel Alan Kurdi operated by an German NGO were transferred to an Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) patrol boat and disembarked at the army's Hay Wharf base late Sunday evening.

The German-flagged vessel changed its course to Malta after a standoff with the Italian government which refused its entry to Italian waters.

In a statement the Maltese government said that an agreement was reached following talks with the European Commission and Germany, the migrants on Alan Kurdi would be transferred to one of its patrol boats and brought to Malta.

"All the rescued persons on board will be immediately relocated to other European Union member states," the statement reads.

Sea-Eye reported that three individuals required medical attention as they collapsed due to the heat, two of them reportedly minors.

Earlier during the day, a group of 58 migrants were rescued and brought to Malta by AFM.