A 61-year-old crew member on Bermuda-bound Celebrity Cruises ship has been airlifted on Monday, August 27, after suffering heart attack in the waters off New Jersey coast.
According to a statement from the U.S. Coast Guard, CG officers at 5th District headquarters in Portsmouth have been alerted Monday morning that a passenger onboard Celebrity Summit needed immediate medical attention.
Celebrity Summit's crew told watch officers that a male crew member had been suffering heart attack symptoms. The crew was told to steer the vessel closer to shore in order to allow medical helicopter to be dispatched.
An HH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew was deployed to the ship by Air Station Atlantic City. At the time, the ship was located around 230 mi (370 km) east of Cape May. Air Station Elizabeth City launched HC-130 Hercules crew for support because of the considerable distance between the ship and the coast.
The crew landed on the helicopter pad of the ship and airlifted both the patient and a nurse, taking them to Atlanticare Regional Medical Center, Atlantic City.
Celebrity Summit left New York on Sunday, the day before the accident. The ship is due to reach Bermuda on Wednesday, August 29.
For other Celebrity Summit accidents and incidents see at the ship's CruiseMinus page.