2-1-2024 (SINGAPORE) A crew member of a cruise liner, located approximately 120 kilometers off the coast of Singapore, was airlifted to a hospital on December 31 by the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF). The RSAF’s search-and-rescue unit, Rescue 10, was activated in response to the urgent medical attention required by the individual, as confirmed by a spokesperson from the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) to The Straits Times.
The conscious patient was safely transported to Singapore General Hospital (SGH) aboard an H225M helicopter, according to the Mindef spokesperson. The spokesperson did not provide further details but stated that the patient is currently in stable condition. This successful operation marks the sixth Rescue 10 activation of 2023, as stated by Mindef.
Photographs of the rescue operation, shared on the RSAF’s Facebook page, depict the H225M helicopter landing on a grassy area near the hospital. Hospital staff were present to receive the patient, who was then transferred onto a stretcher.
RSAF expressed their well wishes for the patient’s speedy recovery and commended their ground crew, aircrew, and medical team for flawlessly executing the mission.
Rescue 10, comprising air crew, ground crew, and medical personnel, remains on standby 24/7, every day of the year.
On July 19, 2021, a Rescue 10 team evacuated a crew member from a commercial vessel who experienced sudden memory loss. The individual was subsequently transported to SGH for medical attention.
The following day, Rescue 10 was called upon to evacuate another crew member from a different commercial vessel, who was suffering from chest pains.
In 2019, the RSAF unit conducted an airlift operation to transport a diving enthusiast, Mr. John Low, to the hospital for treatment. Mr. Low had spent three days adrift at sea on a ring buoy after his boat sank. He endured extreme conditions without food or water and had begun to experience hallucinations. On the third day, a passing ship spotted him in the South China Sea and rescued him.
