Army finds dead man on rubber dinghy

A migrant believed to have escaped from Libya was unlucky to have died on the rubber dinghy he was on, just before being reached by an army rescue team.

The man was on the boat with another man, who was also in critical condition, the Armed Forces of Malta said.

The rescue operation happened on Monday night after the AFM received a report that two people were in distress on a rubber boat.

The man who was alive was airlifted by an army AW139 helicopter and taken to Mater Dei Hospital, while the dead man’s body is being brought to shore by an AFM patrol boat.

Hundreds of migrants are escaping the unrest in Libya with security sources expecting this to be a busy week for rescuers.

Meanwhile, the NGO rescue vessel Open Arms remains afloat between Lampedusa and Malta with 151 migrants on board after Italy and Malta have both refused it entry.