The search and rescue operation for a 37-year-old English man is still underway after he found himself in difficulty while swimming in Ramla l-Ħamra with a young boy, the police have informed Lovin Malta.

Police were alerted to the incident at around 1:15pm yesterday. Officers from the Civil Protection Department and the Armed Forces of Malta launched a search soon after.

An 11-year-old boy, also from the United Kingdom, was recovered from the sea and rushed to the Gozo General Hospital, where he sadly passed away shortly after.