TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A 78-year-old Australian male aboard the Bermuda-registered Queen Elizabeth cruise ship required evacuation for medical treatment on Sunday evening.
The Ministry of the Interior's National Airborne Service Corps received a report at 6 p.m. that the man traveling from Manila to Keelung Port was diagnosed with acute coronary heart disease by the ship’s doctor, per CNA.
A Black Hawk helicopter took off at 6:34 p.m. to meet the cruise ship located at sea, 148 kilometers southeast of Kaohsiung. At 7:18 p.m., the helicopter arrived at the cruise ship and began to hoist man into the aircraft.
According to the helicopter flight crew, the man suffered from low blood oxygen and was given supplemental oxygen. His condition temporarily stabilized during the flight to Kaohsiung.
The helicopter returned to Kaohsiung Airport at around 8:08 p.m. The man was quickly moved into an ambulance and taken to Kaohsiung Municipal Siaogang Hospital where he received medical treatment.
