The Malta Rescue Coordination Centre was in the past hours involved in a search and rescue operation around 300 miles South East of Malta. Two corpses recovered during the operation are expected to be transported to Malta onboard a merchant vessel in the hours to come, the AFM said last night.

Nine persons were rescued yesterday evening and another three were rescued this afternoon.

The AFM said the case started to develop after a merchant ship namely ‘AMS PEGASUS’ whilst in transit sighted two persons in water who after being rescued claimed that they had been onboard a vessel with around 30 persons onboard which had sunk.

One of the two was in such bad conditions he had to be airlifted by a helicopter manned by the Order of Malta.

Upon receipt of this information RCC Malta diverted several merchant vessels transiting in the vicinity and commenced with the coordination of a series of searches in the area in order to locate other possible persons at sea.  RCC Malta also despatched an AFM Maritime Patrol Aircraft in order to conduct further searches in the area. Through coordination between RCC MT and MRCC Rome, 3 Italian Coastguard and Navy planes were also despatched towards the area in order to assist in the SAR operation.

An Italian Coastguard Aircraft spotted a group of persons in the water in one of the search areas and launched a life raft in aid of the spotted persons. The men on the life raft were taken aboard by a merchant ship and are on their way to Crete.

Seven persons including two children were rescued by merchant vessels assisting in the area, bringing the total of people rescued to nine. But during the rescue operation a number of corpses were spotted but priority was given to save the rescued persons, the AFM said.  Later on this morning three other alive persons were found and rescued.

In view that the rescued persons were in need of urgent medical assistance and Greece was the closest place of safety and within helicopter range of the merchant vessels, RCC MT coordinated a MEDEVAC with the Greek Rescue Coordination Centre and Greek Coastguard. Three survivors who were in grievous conditions were airlifted to a hospital in Greece. 

RCC MT is currently coordinating further searches in the area in order to locate other possible survivors also with the assistance of MRCC Rome.

In view of limited visibility and night conditions the search last night was temporarily suspended and resumed early this morning. 

According to Italian media but unconfirmed in Malta, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres is expected to arrive in Malta today. He is also reported to be assisted by UNHCR ambassador Angelina Jolie.

Meanwhile at Porto Empedocle in Sicily the arrival is expected of Italian navy ship Orione with 478 migrants on board. Friday was a day of arrivals on the Sicilian coast with no less than 1,500 persons all saved by Mare Nostrum. 110 Afghan refugees landed in Ragusa after being abandoned by  the 'scafisti' who led them there some hundreds of metres away from the shore. In Catania four alleged 'scafisti' were arrested - a Ghanaian, two Nigerians and a man from Gambia.

The AFM this afternoon reported that a second corpse has been located, while three more survivors have been rescued for a total of 12. The survivors, according to an AFM statement, have said that their boat was rammed by another.