Dramatic video footage has emerged showing the moment a seriously ill passenger onboard a cruise ship was rescued by helicopter just off the coast of South West England.
Britain's Maritime and Coastguard Agency said they were called to the cruise ship at around 2:15 a.m. following reports of an unwell passenger who "urgently" needed to be taken to hospital.
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The coastguard helicopter's camera captured the moment a paramedic, who had been lowered onto the deck of the liner, strapped the passenger onto a stretcher. The paramedic and the ill passenger are then hoisted up to the helicopter.
The nighttime rescue was carried out successfully despite the choppy seas and wintry conditions. The passenger was then airlifted to hospital in Cornwall, South West England. His current condition is unknown.
"An unwell passenger on a cruise ship was airlifted to hospital in the early hours of this morning by HM Coastguard Newquay helicopter," the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said in a statement.
"The HM Coastguard search and rescue helicopter based at Newquay, with Captain Dave Crimmon, Co-Pilot Debdash Bhattacharya, Winch Operator Rob Glendinning and Winchman Niall Hanson aboard, responded to call and made their way to the cruise ship which was positioned 30nm south of Plymouth.
"After arriving on scene, they lowered their Paramedic Winchman onboard to treat the casualty. They secured the man and winched him into the aircraft where he was taken to Treliske Hospital."
Following the dramatic rescue, the cruise continued its planned journey to the Azores region in the Atlantic Sea.
In November, another British passenger had to be rescued from a Saga Cruise sailing around the Algarve after falling ill due to a pre-existing medical condition.
"The 75-year-old British passenger, while conscious and stable, was suffering from a chronic illness requiring specialized medical care," police said at the time, reported The Express.
Lifeboats had to be sent to collect the 75-year-old from the ship before he was taken to Portimao Hospital for treatment.
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