Two migrants were airlifted from a Spanish naval vessel and taken to Mater Dei hospital for treatment after needing medical assistance yesterday evening. 

In a statement, the Armed Forces of Malta said that it had dispatched an AW 139 helicopter to fetch the migrants following a request from the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Rome. 

The naval vessel the migrants were aboard is part of the fleet participating in the EUNAVFORMED Sophia operation - an EU mission which seeks to identify and capture boats used by people traffickers and to train the Libyan coastguard to better police their shores. 

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