Swift Helicopter Evacuation by Italian Coast Guard: Second Rescue Operation in a Week

Today at 2:00 AM CEST, the operational center of the Italian maritime authority was alerted following communication that reported a passenger experiencing a severe epileptic crisis on board the cruise ship “MSC World Europa”, en route to the port of Barcelona, off the southern coast of Sardinia.

After evaluating the situation, it was deemed necessary to proceed with the evacuation of the passenger via helicopter in order to provide immediate hospital care. The maritime authority in Cagliari contacted the national operational center of the Italian coast guard, which authorized the deployment of a Leonardo AW139GC helicopter (registration number MM82041) that took off from Decimomannu AB.

In just over 20 minutes, the helicopter reached the ship and performed the transfer of the patient on board, who was subsequently transported to the hospital in Cagliari. This is the second such operation by the Italian Coast Guard within a few days, following the one last Sunday in the Adriatic Sea.