Malta has rescued a group of 61 migrants who were on board a boat in distress in the Mediterranean, the Maltese army said Saturday.

"Their dinghy is drifting and the motor isn't working. The boat is also showing signs of deflation," a government spokesman said earlier, noting that one of the migrants had been unconscious.

The rescue came hours after Italy's deputy prime minister uploaded a picture of the packed dinghy heading north in the Mediterranean.

"Exclusive images of a dinghy with 70 immigrants in a boat with a powerful engine, in Maltese waters. Will someone do something to intervene or will they send them once again towards Italy?" Salvini said in a tweet.

Italy and Malta have been at loggerheads over who should assume responsibility for migrants rescued at sea.