National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) crews have evacuated an elderly British woman off a cruise liner after she suffered a medical complaint in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
NSRI Gqeberha deputy station commander, Jonathan Tufts, commended the medical team aboard the cruise liner who worked to stabilise the woman and prepare her for the evacuation after 1am.
Tufts said the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre was activated for the 87-year-old's evacuation aboard the vessel travelling towards Gqeberha.
“The sea rescue craft, Spirit of Toft, was launched, accompanied Eastern Cape government health Emergency Medical Services rescue paramedics, and rendezvoused with the vessel between 12 and 15 nautical miles off-shore in 45 knot winds and rough seas,” Tufts said.
He said an EMS rescue paramedic and two NSRI rescue swimmers were transferred onto the vessel.
“The woman had been stabilised aboard the ship by the cruise liner’s medical team and was then secured into a Stokes basket stretcher and in a high angle rope technical rescue operation she was transferred onto the NSRI rescue craft,” Tufts said.
Once in the care of EMS paramedics, she was placed aboard the NSRI rescue vessel and brought back to shore where she was transferred into an ambulance.
Tufts said the woman was rushed to hospital in a serious but stable condition.
IOL