Update 3: Injured crewman rescued in tricky operation

A crewman injured on an Italian trawler 95 nautical miles south west of Malta was ferried to Malta by helicopter this morning after a tricky operation which at one time had to be cancelled because of poor weather conditions.

Tunisian Krife Mohammed, 35, was working on the fishing vessel Oceana, when he was injured in a fall and lapsed into unconsciousness.

A Malta-based Italian Military Mission helicopter with a joint Italian-AFM crew was sent to the vessel yesterday evening but poor conditions, including a strong wind, rough seas and low visibility, prevented the rescue from taking place despite three attempts to lower an AFM rescuer onto the trawler's heaving deck.

The operation was aborted, but as the Oceana came closer to Malta a fresh attempt was made early this morning, and the rescue crew managed to winch the injured man on board the helicopter, which landed at Mater Dei Hospital at 6.35 a.m.