The Armed Forces of Malta evacuated several persons who found themselves in difficulty early this afternoon in two separate incidents.
Three crew members of a Togo registered bunkering barge, which was in distress off the coast of Malta were hoisted on board an AB 212 helicopter of the Italian Military Mission. One of the crewmen was Maltese.
A spokesman for the AFM said the barge was currently anchored off Malta and was not considered a danger to other craft.
The spokesman said that its owner would decide what to do once weather conditions improve.
In a separate rescue operation, 13 divers found themselves in difficulty off Żurrieq. The divers were assisted by an AFM rescue swimmer who was lowered from an Alouette helicopter. The divers were picked up by a civilian vessel.
It is understood that the divers found problems returning to shore in rough seas.
No further details were immediately available.