The IDF Airforce Combat Rescue And Evacuation Unit 669 transported an American tourist from a luxury cruise ship sailing from Haifa to Cyprus, after concerns she was suffering from a heart condition.
The rescue team evacuated the tourist to Rambam Medical Center in Haifa, where she was hospitalized and was given a series of medical exams.
The incident took place on the "Odyssey of the Seas" ship, belonging to the Royal Caribbean International cruise line hosting thousands of tourists.
Around 2:30 AM, the American woman began having difficulty breathing, and the medical staff on board grew concerned she was suffering a cardiac event. In order to prevent a her condition from deteriorating further, the crew contacted the Air Force, and a helicopter carrying a rescue team was dispatched. Within an hour and a half, the woman was under hospital care.
"The American tourist is suffering from respiratory distress," Rambam Health Care Campus said in a statement. "It is probably not a heart attack. She is hospitalized in the cardiac intensive care unit, is unconscious and her condition is considered severe."