Third body found as Malta hunts for missing French tourists

Rescuers in Malta recovered a third body from the sea on Wednesday as they searched for a group of French tourists missing after their boat capsized, media reports said.

A Maltese army helicopter pulled the body of a man from the sea according to Malta Today, after the bodies of two women wearing life jackets were found near a capsized boat and recovered by an Italian helicopter on Tuesday.

The group, including two men, two women and a 14-year-old boy, have been missing since Sunday when they set off for the shore on a four-metre (13-foot) tender from their yacht, El Pirata, during a Mediterranean cruise.

The yacht was moored off the picturesque village of Dwejra in Gozo, one of three islands that make up the Maltese archipelago. The alarm was raised by the yacht's skipper, a Spaniard, who had remained on board the vessel.

Maltese authorities had requested assistance from the US Navy and Italian coast guards to carry out the search in rough sea conditions and strong winds.

"We suspect that the female bodies might be two of the missing but now there will be a process of verification," said a spokesman for the military, which is in charge of coast guard patrols in the tiny Mediterranean island state.