A crew member aboard a commercial vessel sailing 65 nautical miles southwest of Cyprus was airlifted to safety late on Tuesday night, following the activation of the national rescue plan “Nearchos” by the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC).

The operation was launched at 9pm on April 30, after the JRCC received a request for medical evacuation from the ship.

A helicopter from the Air Force Command’s 460th Search and Rescue Squadron was dispatched to the scene, carrying a specialist nurse from the state ambulance service.

The patient was safely transported and handed over to medical staff at Paphos general hospital at 11.30pm.