Divers have discovered treasures hidden within the wreck of a Phoenician boat off the coast of Malta.

The 15m vessel, which dates back from 700BC, is believed to be one of the oldest Phoenician artefacts ever discovered and contains 20 lava grinding stones and 50 amphorae, a type of container.

Samples of the artefacts have been raised to the surface to be examined in an operation overseen by the Superintendence of National Heritage.

The discovery was made in waters 120m deep around one mile off the coast of the island of Gozo by a team of international researchers.

The scientists are piecing together a high resolution 3D model of the wreck from 8,000 digital images of the site.

The exact location of the wreck will be released once the researchers have completed their investigation.