The intervention took place late yesterday evening; the man was recovered from the ship and transported to hospital
Yesterday evening, an HH-139 helicopter of the 84th SAR Center (Search and Rescue) of the Air Force, stationed on the Gioia del Colle base, intervened to recover and rescue a 52-year-old man with a severe head injury from a Turkish merchant ship sailing about six miles off the Gargano coast.
The man was seriously injured following a fall, hence the request for assistance to the Air Force, activated by the Maritime Rescue Sub Center of Bari. The Aerospace Operations Command of Poggio Renatico (Ferrara) immediately requested the intervention of one of the aircraft in readiness at that moment and suitable for the type of emergency, i.e. an air rescue helicopter.
The crew, a specialized team made up of pilots, an on-board operator and an air rescuer, took off from the permanent base of Gioia del Colle and after reaching the boat and lowering the air rescuer onto the ship with the winch, performed the recovery - always with the winch – of the stretched man. The wounded man was then transported to the San Giovanni Rotondo hospital in the province of Foggia. The intervention ended after 22 pm with the return of the helicopter to the base.
The 15th Wing of the Air Force guarantees, 24 hours a day, 24 days a year, without interruption, the search and rescue of flight crews in difficulty, also contributing to public utility activities such as of missing persons at sea or in the mountains, the emergency medical transport of patients in imminent danger of life and the rescue of seriously traumatized people, also operating in extreme weather conditions.
From its establishment to today, the crews of the 15th Stormo have saved more than 7500 people in danger of life. Since 2018, the Department has acquired the AIB (Forest Fire Fighting) capability, contributing to the prevention and fight against fires throughout the national territory as part of the inter-force device put in place by the Defense.