An Egyptian fisherman injured at sea was airlifted to safety in the early hours of the morning by a local helicopter rescue team, the Armed Forces of Malta said in a statement. 

Malta's Rescue Coordination Centre was alerted to the SOS call in the early hours of the morning, the AFM said, with an AW 139 helicopter dispatched to rescue the man. 

The man was transferred to the AFM's Airwing and then handed over to a medical team from the Emergency Department, which took him to Mater Dei Hospital for further medical care. 

AW 139 helicopters are among the most modern additions to the AFM's fleet, with the €13 million EU-funded choppers equipped with state-of-the-art avionics and imaging systems, specialised search and rescue equipment and a stretcher for medical evacuations.