AERONAUTICS: HELICOPTER RESCUES SEVERELY INJURED INDIVIDUAL FROM TURKISH MERCHANT SHIP SAILING IN THE ADRIATIC

The operation took place late yesterday evening; the man was recovered from the ship and taken to hospital.

Yesterday evening, an HH-139 helicopter from the 84th SAR (Search and Rescue) Centre of the Italian Air Force, based at Gioia del Colle, was deployed to rescue and provide assistance to a 52-year-old man suffering from a severe head injury, retrieved from a Turkish merchant ship sailing approximately six miles off the coast of Gargano.

The man had been seriously injured following a fall, hence the request for assistance from the Air Force, activated by the Maritime Rescue Sub Centre in Bari. The Air Operations Command of Poggio Renatico (Ferrara) immediately requested the intervention of one of the aircraft on standby at that time and suitable for the type of emergency, i.e. an air rescue helicopter.

The crew, a specialised team comprising pilots, a flight engineer, and a winch rescuer, took off from their permanent base at Gioia del Colle and, after reaching the vessel and lowering the winch rescuer onto the ship, performed the recovery – again by winch – of the man on the stretcher. The injured person was then transported to San Giovanni Rotondo hospital in the province of Foggia. The operation concluded after 10 pm with the helicopter's return to base.

The 15th Wing of the Italian Air Force guarantees, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, without interruption, the search and rescue of flight crews in difficulty, also contributing to public utility activities such as the search for missing persons at sea or in mountains, emergency medical transport of patients in imminent danger of death, and the rescue of severely traumatised individuals, operating even in extreme weather conditions.

From its establishment to the present day, the crews of the 15th Wing have saved more than 7,500 people from life-threatening situations. Since 2018, the Unit has acquired Wildfire Fighting (AIB) capability, contributing to the prevention and combat of fires throughout the national territory as part of the joint interforce system deployed by the Defence.