After 2 days of searching for the missing Maltese fisherman, Mario Axiaq, aged 58 from Zabbar, the search and rescue operation conducted by the Rescue Coordination centre of the AFM came to a successful end earlier this morning when the AFM King Air B200 spotted the fisherman in his boat some 45 NM NE

There were two other vessels in the vicinity and they were immediately dispatched by the AFM to provide initial assistance.

Once on site a Panama registered vessel ‘Ramah’,confirmed that the person was the fisherman we were looking for and that he was alive and well.

Concurrently the Italian Air Force AB212 helicopter who has been searching for the Maltese man together with other AFM assets, was diverted to the ‘Ramah’ in order to bring the fisherman back to Malta.

With the Italo-Maltese crew, the helicopter arrived soon after and airlifted the fisherman to St Luke’s Hospital where he was transferred to an awaiting ambulance for Mater Dei Hospital.

File Photograph – Estelle Calleja.

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