On Wednesday, two injured seafarers were evacuated from the bulk carrier 'KS Flora', while sailing towards East London. The two men, a 41 year old man Filipino and a 27 year old man from Manila, were reportedly injured onboard during rough sea conditions, one suffering a fractured left leg, suspected to be a fractured Tibila and Fibula, and one suffering a left ankle injury. South Africa’s National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) were able to determine that a Government Health EMS duty doctor had evaluated the two injured sailors onboard by radio telephone communications. An NSRI rescue swimmer accompanied by an EC Government Health EMS rescue paramedic boarded a SAAF 15 Squadron Charlie Flight BK-117 helicopter at 13h00 and the helicopter rendezvoused with the ship 7 nautical miles off-shore of East London in rough seas with 3 to 4 meter swells and a 15 to 20 knot Easterly wind. The EMS rescue paramedic and the NSRI rescue swimmer were hoisted onto the ship and were led to where the two patients were being kept onboard the ship. In an operation lasting 40 minutes, during which the helicopter flew around the ship in a holding pattern, both patients were stabilised onboard. The patient with the fractured leg was ...
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