Following a medical evacuation request (MEDEVAC), the HH212 helicopter recovered a young fisherman aboard the Maltese boat "Irminio", sailing at approximately 75 miles west of Malta.
In the re-entry phase, the aircraft was then hijacked by the Rescue Coordination Center of Malta, towards the Italian fishing boat "Stefano Primo", sailing at about 45 miles west of Malta, on which a seafarer complained of severe chest pains. Once the Italian unit was reached, the operations for the second recovery were started, which were particularly affected by the bad weather conditions.
The two patients recovered were transported to the base of Luga and entrusted to the care of health personnel for the subsequent hospitalization at the Mater Dei Hospital.
During the landing operations of the two recovered patients, the order for the third mission: the search for a missing diver arrived. The HH212 helicopter headed towards "Anchor Bay", along the north-west coast of the island where it started scouting a stretch of sea, in cooperation with a Maltese naval rescue unit in the area. The activities ended positively with the location of the diver, recovered from the naval unit.
The SAR section, equipped with HH212 helicopters, is the only operational structure of the Italian Field Defense Collaboration Mission (MICCD), and provides both the training of flight personnel and the SAR service. The flight activity is carried out with mixed Italian-Maltese crews, ensuring the SAR H24 service, even in adverse weather conditions.
Source: Italian Mission for Co-operation in the Defense Field - MICCD- Malta- cdr Vittorio Pagotto
