Fisherman John Carabott, aged 63 from Marsaxlokk , who was born in Gozo, was earlier this morning successfully evacuated by an Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) rescue-helicopter, from onboard the fishing-vessel "Giovanni Padre". He had been out fishing yesterday with the vessel’s crew in a position 93.97 nautical miles (NM) south of Malta, when he was bitten by an eel.
The AFM’s Rescue and Co-ordination Centre (RCC Malta) at Luqa Barracks, was yesterday evening alerted on the fisherman’s condition by Mr. Carabott’s nephew, John Carabott, via the freephone "112" emergency phone-number service. The elderly fisherman had been bitten by an eel in the area of one of his pulses, and caused a 10-centimetre long rip in the flesh, which bled quite profusely and requiring some 20 stitches.
As the casualty was being administered pain killers by his crew mates, an Italian Military Mission AB-212 rescue-helicopter attempted last night an initial medical-evacuation attempt. The Italian Air Force helicopter, flown by a joint Italo-Maltese crew, made several attempts to winch up the casualty, but failed given the 20-knot strong winds prevailing in the area with a near 2-metre high swell.
Later in the night, a Maritime Squadron Melita-class fast rescue-launch was place also on standby to meet the FV "Giovanni Padre" some 50 NM south of Malta, as the fishing-vessel had been instructed by RCC Malta to make a hasty course back towards Maltese shores.
Earlier this morning though, an AFM Air Wing Alouette rescue-helicopter successfully reached the fishing-vessel in a position 63 NM off Delimara Point, and evacuated Mr. Joseph Carabott to Mater Dei Hospital for further urgent medical treatment for his injury.
This is the second time that Mr. Carabott has been rescued by the AFM off the same fishing-boat. The same AFM Air Wing rescuer, Bombardier Ivan Gauci, had rescued him on a previous occasion around 1997.
Photo by Chris Zammit /AFM Air Wing: AFM Air Wing rescuer, Bombardier Ivan Gauci, is reunited with injured local fisherman Mr. Joseph Carabott onboard the Alouette rescue-helicopter sent out to medically evacuate him to hospital. Both had met each other previously on another rescue from the same FV "Giovanni Padre" in 1997.