ADELAIDE, Australia - Australian authorities have rescued 32 asylum-seekers on two boats that were having trouble in the Indian Ocean off northern Australia.
Home Affairs Minister Brendan O'Connor said in a statement that the two groups were headed for Australia when they were spotted by air patrols on Thursday, northwest of the Tiwi Islands off the city of Darwin.
A Border Protection Command vessel picked up the people on both boats. One carried 24 passengers and four crew, while the other had eight passengers and four crew.
O'Connor said all of the people were safe "and have indicated they wish to come to Australia."
They will be taken to Christmas Island, a remote Australian territory near Indonesia where Australia has a detention centre that processes asylum claims.
Twenty-three boats carrying asylum-seekers have been intercepted in Australian waters this year, adding fuel to an ongoing political debate over illegal immigration.