Two migrant infants airlifted to Mater Dei after rescue at sea
A group of 30 migrants were brought into Haywharf yesterday evening, after two infants from the boatload had to be urgently airlifted to Mater Dei hospital.
The infants’ condition was found to be grave, after they swallowed a quantity of sea-water as their boat capsized in a position some 72 nautical miles from Malta.
It was at about 3:25pm when the Maritime Squadron’s Protector-class patrol vessel P-52 reported that, whilst monitoring the progress northwards of an illegal migrants’ boat, observed that its 30 or so passengers had ended in the sea after their boat capsized.
All the migrants, who were wearing life-jackets, were successfully plucked out of the sea. However, the urgent medical evacuation of two children and a woman was requested.
As P-52 steamed at speed back towards Malta, an AFM Air Wing Alouette helicopter as well as a German Border-Police Puma helicopter were immediately scrambled to the air to airlift the reported casualties to hospital.
While the AFM helicopter succesfully airlifted the children and brought them over to hospital, the woman displayed no vital signs of life before she could be taken onboard the FRONTEX-operated Puma helicopter, and was reported to be dead.
The remaining 28 migrants, made up of 20 males and 8 females, were taken to the Maritime Squadron’s base.
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