(Seychelles News Agency) - The Seychelles’ Department of Immigration confirmed on Monday that 16 Malagasy citizens flagged by officials while on transit last week are still in the country.

The group of 16 Malagasy women arrived in Seychelles, a 115-island archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, on Friday on an Air Seychelles flight and were due to take a connecting flight to Abu Dhabi the following day.

According to the Department of Immigration, in the Ministry of Home Affairs, the profiles of the women were not clear which raised a red flag and prompted an investigation that is ongoing. No further information was available.

The investigation is being done in conjunction with the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Seychelles Police to determine the facts.

The 16 Malagasy women are staying in the transit hotel at the Seychelles International airport at Pointe Larue, on the east of Mahe, the main island, until Wednesday.