On Sunday at 7:20 AM CEST, the operational center of the Italian maritime authority was alerted following a phone call reporting the presence of a passenger suffering from a heart attack. The woman, an American national, experienced a sudden illness aboard the cruise ship “Enchantment of the Sea“, en route to the port of Ravenna, off the coast of Gargano.
Coast guard personnel established radio communication between the ship’s onboard doctor and the doctor from the International Radio Medical Center, which provides 24-hour medical advice to sailors.
After assessing the situation, the medical professionals deemed it essential to proceed with the evacuation of the aforementioned passenger via helicopter in order to provide her with immediate hospital care. The maritime authority in Pescara promptly contacted the national operational center of the coast guard, which authorized the deployment of a Leonardo AW139GC helicopter (registration number MM81911) that took off from Pescara.
In just 20 minutes, the helicopter reached the ship and performed the transfer of the patient on board, who was subsequently transported to the hospital in Chieti, where she was admitted to the intensive care unit.