Yesterday, an Italian Air Force HH-139B helicopter was deployed to rescue two tourists suffering from serious illnesses on two different cruise ships, winching them aboard.

An helicopter HH-139B The Italian Air Force carried out two different missions yesterday, Tuesday 18 October, to first rescue a 77-year-old German tourist in the morning. stricken with a sudden illness On board the cruise ship “Balmoral”, then to carry out a similar intervention, around 6:00 PM, for a 74-year-old French tourist, also in serious condition, on the cruise ship “MSC-Seaside”.

The helicopter, one of the Armed Forces’ assets on operational readiness for rescue activities, took off on both occasions from the’Decimomannu Military Airport (CA), headquarters of the’80° Centro Combat SAR (Search and Rescueof the 15th Wing, to reach ships in rapid times on which the two tourists were travelling. Thanks to the use of the winch, an essential tool for carrying out this type of rescue operation where landing is not possible, the air rescue personnel of the Air Force were able to directly retrieve the two people from the deck of the ships, embarking them safely onto the helicopter. In the case of the second intervention, the HH-139B had to stop first at Elmas airport to pick up a doctor from the 118 emergency service who provided urgent first aid to the patient, who was in serious condition.

Once the rescued person had been safely boarded, the helicopter proceeded swiftly, in both instances, to the “G. Brotzu” Hospital in Cagliari.

The requests for intervention, received from Cagliari Prefecture, have been authorised by the Rescue Coordination Centre del Aerospace Operations Command in Poggio Renatico (Ferrara), the Command and Control Centre of the Italian Air Force from which all operational activities of this kind are managed.

The 80th CSAR Centre is one of the units from 15th Wing of the Air Force, which guarantees search and rescue for flight crews in difficulty every single day of the year, and contributes to public utility activities such as the search for missing persons at sea or in mountains, the urgent medical transport of patients in life-threatening situations, and the rescue of severely injured individuals. Since its establishment to the present day, the 15th Wing's crews have saved approximately 7,300 people in life-threatening situations. The 15th Wing operates under the command of the Command for Mobility and Support Forces (CFMS) of Air Squad Command.

Download the full video of the two rescues here: https://we.tl/t-bURMeDIA9A