Two migrants airlifted to hospital in difficult rescue operation

Two migrants, both men, were airlifted urgently to hospital from a fishing boat some miles off Malta in a difficult rescue operation on Wednesday.

An AFM spokesman said that with much difficulty, hovering over the fishing vessel's antennas and fishing equipment, an AFM Air Wing rescuer was winched down from a helicopter to take up the two migrants. They landed at the Air Wing's base in Luqa Airport at about 10 p.m.

The AFM Operations' Centre had been informed by the Rome rescue co-ordination centre at about 11.45 a.m. on Wednesday that the fishing vessel Marve had sighted a boat full of migrants which was adrift and taking in some water.

Shortly afterwards, the Spanish-registered fishing-vessel Punta Aljibe took the 50 illegal immigrants aboard, allegedly also including a baby. Subsequently, the crew on board the vessel requested the medical evacuation of two migrants who were in need of urgent medical treatment.

The Punta Aljibe was instructed to sail towards Malta while the locally based Italian Military Mission's AB212 rescue helicopter was scrambled to the scene.

The rest of the illegal migrants on board the Punta Aljibe were taken to Tripoli.