The woman had been shortly before embarked on the HH East merchant, which according to the laws of the sea had been hijacked to rescue the boat.
The crew of the MICCD, on a HH212 helicopter, reached the freighter in few minutes from the activation and lowering itself on the boat. Given the critical conditions, the woman was taken to the helicopter, thanks to a stretcher attached to a winch. It was then immediately transported to the St. Luke Hospital in Malta.
Operations continued on the same day, when a second crew intervened to recover from a ship flying the Italian flag, two young Somalis who urgently needed medical treatment. In this case too, a crew on board an HH 212 reached the ship in a few minutes, recovering the two young men who were transported to a hospital in Malta.
The SAR (Search and Rescue) section of the Italian Collaboration Mission in the Defense Camp works with personnel from the Italian Air Force and with mixed Italian-Maltese crews working with the Maltese Government on the Search and Rescue Service. The service is guaranteed with an H24 readiness on the HH 212 helicopters supplied even in the most difficult weather conditions.
Source: MICCD - Malta - col. Mariz Luca and cap. Vittorio Pagotto
