Drone footage captured the moment a pregnant woman was airlifted from a Disney cruise ship by the U.S. Coast Guard on Monday.
Rescue workers were seen rappelling from an MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter onto the Disney Fantasy in the Atlantic Ocean northwest of Puerto Rico., In a video shared by the Coast Guard.
The 35-year-old woman was strapped to a stretcher and dragged into the helicopter in heart-pounding moments. The agency said the woman “required a higher level of medical care” than could be provided by the ship’s doctors in the ship’s medical bay.
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A Coast Guard rescue swimmer was lowered onto the deck of the Disney Fantasy to transport a 35-year-old pregnant woman to a shore-based hospital in Puerto Rico. (US Coast Guard)
“Coast Guard observers in the San Juan area received a communication Monday morning from Disney Fantasy Inc. requesting emergency assistance as the cruise ship was sailing 260 nautical miles northwest of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico,” the agency said in a press release. Stated.
“Upon arrival on scene, Coast Guard Jayhawk crews dispatched rescue swimmers to the cruise ship and prepared rescue baskets and stretchers to safely hoist the patient and cruise ship physician onto the aircraft.” the guard said.
An HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft was also flown in from Miami Air Base to help.
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The woman was strapped to a stretcher, tied with rope and surrounded by medical teams and worried family members. (US Coast Guard)
The passengers were airlifted to Fernando Luis Rivas Dominici Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico. From there, she was taken to Centro Medico Hospital, authorities said.
“Our crews were able to quickly, safely and efficiently perform long-distance MEDEVAC to ensure patients received the higher level of care they needed,” said Lt. Col. Todd Stevens said in a statement. “This case demonstrates the value of superior crew resource management and the capabilities of our Jayhawk helicopters.”
“We’re glad everything came together to help this passenger,” said 2nd Lt. Michael Riccio, Coast Guard San Juan Division operations unit leader in charge of the incident. “The competency demonstrated by the Disney Fantasy crew and Coast Guard personnel and units made a huge difference.”
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The woman was seen being dragged into the plane on a stretcher, dangling from the Jaywalker helicopter. (US Coast Guard)
The cruise had departed from Port Canaveral, Florida, two days earlier, according to reports. cruise hive.
The ship is currently sailing through the Eastern Caribbean on a seven-night itinerary, visiting Tortola on Tuesday, entering St. Thomas on Wednesday, and visiting Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay, before returning to port. Cruise Hive reported.
Disney Cruise Line did not respond to a request for comment.
