A 72-year-old man from Mellieha died on Tuesday morning after having gone missing at Għadira Bay.

He was found as a search and rescue operation took place, was pulled out from the water and was administered CPR. The man however was later certified as having been dead on site, the police told The Malta Independent.

The search had been mounted for the man who was reported missing by relatives at Ghadira Bay, police confirmed. The man had left in a dinghy to reach another boat in the middle of the bay, but the dinghy was later found drifting on its own. The search was mounted by the Armed Forces and Civil Protection Department personnel.