Valletta, Malta - A Maltese fisherman was rescued late after surviving a boat explosion a week ago that left four others dead, local media reported Saturday.

Suffering burns, Simon Bugeja, 31, held on to dear life for days as he saw the others around him perish. His son Theo, 11, was clinging on to him on board a raft until a few hours before the rescue, which occurred late Friday. But at one point, the boy slipped off the raft into the water and died.

"This morning (Friday) Theo was still alive although completely exhausted. At one point a helicopter seemed to have spotted us but it just flew above us," Bugeja recounted to a relative.

Two bodies have been recovered, while the third, an Eritrean man, died in the explosion, according to the survivor.

The boat had been due back in Malta a week ago. An extensive search was mounted between Malta and Lampedusa by Italian, Maltese and American rescue aircraft. It is one of Malta's worst ever fishing tragedies. (dpa)