Five scuba divers were rescued after getting into difficulty in rough seas near the wreck of Rożi off Ċirkewwa, Malta, on Friday afternoon.
Malta’s Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC Malta) launched the operation after receiving reports that the five divers were experiencing difficulties in the area surrounding the wreck.
Maritime rescue teams from the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM), Civil Protection Department and Malta Red Cross were deployed to assist.
All five divers were safely recovered and transferred to medical personnel from Mater Dei Hospital for assessment.
Sources close to the operation told the Times of Malta that conditions in the area were ‘very rough’, with strong currents carrying divers away from shore.
Local reports initially stated that eight divers had been rescued, however, the AFM later clarified that five divers had been in difficulty, while a separate group initially unaccounted for was found safe and did not require assistance.
In a statement posted on Facebook, a spokesperson for the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) wrote: ‘Earlier this afternoon, Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC Malta) coordinated a response following reports of five divers experiencing difficulties in the vicinity of the Rożi shipwreck, off Ċirkewwa.
‘During the operation, RCC Malta received a separate report concerning another group of divers in the area who were initially unaccounted for. A subsequent intervention by response personnel confirmed that these divers were safe and did not require any further assistance.’
Rożi is a former Maltese tugboat that was deliberately sunk off Ċirkewwa in 1992 and has since become one of Malta’s best-known recreational dive sites.
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