A man was airlifted to hospital on Thursday after falling ill aboard a cargo ship off the coast of Paphos.

The man, aged 57, was working as a crew member on the Maltese-flagged cargo ship the MGD Joy when he fell ill around 110 nautical miles southwest of Paphos.

The Search and Rescue Coordination Centre activated the Nearchos plan to rescue him, sending a helicopter with a specialised nurse on board to transport him to the Paphos general hospital.

The helicopter safely touched down at the Paphos general hospital at 10:15am.

The centre told the Cyprus Mail they cannot yet disclose the illness the man suffered, only saying he was suffering from a “health problem”.