A man was flown to hospital after falling seriously ill on a ship sailing within Cyprus’ search and rescue zone on Friday night.

At 9.20pm on July 4, the joint rescue coordination centre (JRCC) activated the national search and rescue plan, known as “Nearchos”, to carry out an emergency airlift.

A police helicopter was scrambled for the mission. A specialist nurse from the Ambulance Service joined the flight crew to provide medical care.

Officials said the helicopter reached the vessel, which was located inside the Nicosia flight information region (FIR), the airspace where Cyprus has responsibility for search and rescue operations.

The patient was safely transferred to a hospital in the Republic for further treatment. Authorities have not given details about the man’s condition or the ship’s name.

Cyprus’ JRCC often coordinates such operations as the island sits at a busy maritime crossroads. Experts say these missions are vital for saving lives far from shore, but they can be risky, especially at night or in bad weather.