VALLETTA, June 8, 2008 (AFP) - Two vessels carrying 56 illegal migrants capsized off the coast of Malta but all the passengers were rescued, military officials said Sunday.

The first boast carrying 28 people, including a pregnant woman, capsized after hitting a tuna pen being towed by a tug boat on Saturday, the armed forces said.

The passengers were rescued by a Maltese patrol boat.

A second patrol boat saved another 28 immigrants on another vessel.

Malta, the smallest EU nation, draws hordes of illegal immigrants, mainly from North Africa.

Some 1,700 illegal immigrants arrived in Malta in 2007.