When she fell seriously ill, the ship's captain decided she should immediately be taken to hospital in Norway. However, while the rescue teams were moving her on a stretcher to a rescue boat, she fell into the sea – which was about -3C at the time. It then took almost eight minutes to retrieve her from the water.
She was eventually transported to hospital in Bodø, Norway, accompanied by her husband, who remained by her bedside for several days before she was airlifted to Cumberland infirmary in Carlisle, where she is receiving treatment. A spokesman for Cruise & Maritime Voyages, which operates the service, said: "The lady was very seriously ill and the captain and the ship's doctor decided that she needed to disembark as a matter of emergency because the ship was not due to dock at its next calling point until the following day.
"Under these circumstances a rescue was launched and, although the ship is equipped with a helipad, the Norwegian rescue crews decided to launch a sea rescue. Unfortunately, during this rescue the lady did fall into the sea, but she was then taken to hospital and treated." The spokesman said the company took the safety and comfort of its passengers very seriously and although the logistics of the rescue were in the hands of the Norwegian rescue team, Cruise & Maritime Voyages would assist the investigation.
6 comments:
At those temperatures she is very lucky not to have drown. According to experts, with the water temperature as it was, exhaustion or unconsciousness sets in at under 15 minutes (death is expected at around 45 minutes depending on body mass).
She was definitely lucky to survive that and apparently isn't showing any signs of improvement at all in hospital.
Though the doctors are saying they're not sure her 'dip' contributed to her current condition.
I'm pretty sure it didn't help.
Due to the fat content and distribution in their bodies, women survive longer in water than men do. It should be "men and children first" when it comes to lifeboats.
I heard she just passed away. Sad. They aren't sure if the dip in the sea was a factor but as Arbroath said, 'I'm pretty sure it didn't help.'
It appears she passed away on Thursday, but it was only announced this afternoon.
Why wasn't she strapped in on the stretcher when she was transferred from the ship she was on? The rescue team did not seem to be well trained if they dropped a seriously ill elderly person in the sea! There should be a serious investigation into the neglect of the rescue team. It was very badly done!
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