An operation to pluck a man to safety from rough seas yesterday afternoon caused a few headaches to rescuers both because of the casualty’s build and also given the unfavourable weather conditions.

A police spokesman said the man, whom the Armed Forces of Malta named as amateur photographer Paul Busuttil, 35, of Birżebbuġa, was sitting at the water’s edge with two friends when he and one of those with him were dragged into the sea by a wave at Wied Ix-Xoqqa, limits of Żurrieq.

His friend, 32, managed to climb ashore, but Mr Busuttil was carried out by the current.

Police sources said a passerby called the Birżebbuġa police station at about 2.45 p.m. reporting that he had seen a man about 100 metres out struggling in the rough sea.

The AFM said that, once alerted by the police, its Operations Centre at Luqa Barracks launched an air and sea operation within three minutes.

There was a strong northwest wind blowing in the area at the time, coupled with rough south-easterly rough seas.

The rescue-launch Melita 2 sped to the site where the person in distress was located and an Alouette rescue helicopter was soon over Mr Busuttil’s location, the AFM said.

Two AFM rescue-swimmers and a life raft were deployed into the sea, awaiting the arrival of the Melita 2, which got there at 3.21 p.m.

Given that Mr Busuttil weighed about 180 kilos and in view of the inclement weather, the Air Wing rescue-swimmers and the rescue-launch’s crew had to operate under, it was decided to tow the rescuers and the casualty to safety on the deployed life raft instead, the AFM said. The life raft was towed to Malta Freeport at 4.41 p.m., where an ambulance was waiting to take Mr Busuttil to Mater Dei Hospital to be treated for cuts and bruises caused by hitting rocks.