Viking Cruises. Photo: Shutterstock A 76-year-old passenger on a cruise aboard the Viking Cruises' Viking Sky ship off the coast of Mexico fell and required immediate medical rescue.
According to a report from the Mexican Navy, the woman was evacuated to a medical facility in Mexico in a controlled operation. Her condition was described as stable after being transferred to a hospital.
The teams from the Maritime Search and Rescue and Surveillance Station conducted the medical evacuation from the ship off the coast of Michoacán, western Mexico, at the border with the Pacific Ocean.
According to the official report, the rescue operation was launched after receiving a request for assistance to disembark the passenger, a United States citizen, who suffered a fracture in her left hip following a fall. In light of the emergency, the Navy ordered the immediate departure of a Defender-class vessel with specialist teams and marine medical personnel aboard.
Upon arrival at the rendezvous point, the Navy personnel performed a medical assessment and secured the patient on a stretcher for safe transfer. The woman was then transferred to the port, where she was handed over in stable condition to a Civil Defense ambulance that carried her to a nearby hospital.
"These actions reaffirm the commitment of the Mexican Navy, which operates in coast guard duties, to protecting human life at sea.", the report concluded.