Coast Guard plane hitch as rescue nears
A US Coast Guard C-130 aircraft has arrived on Island for a medical evacuation after a crew member on a Turkish-flag cargo ship injured his arm at sea.Bermuda Harbour Radio last night said the evacuation was set to take place this morning at sun rise, around 7.15am, as long as the weather was good.“It is still on-going. At the minute Bermuda Radio has coordinated with the US Coast Guard to arrange for the person to be airlifted and then taken to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital,” said the spokesman.“At the moment the US Coast Guard has sent over two aircraft. A helicopter is currently standing by at the airport for the evacuation due to take place (this) morning. At this point the vessel will be within 200 miles of Bermuda.”The vessel called Askabat measures 166 metres and has a gross tonnage of 18,500 tonnes.Meanwhile a Government spokesperson said the US Coast Guard C-130 plane that landed in Bermuda yesterday afternoon for refuelling had encountered another mechanical issue.A Government spokesman said: “A US Coast Guard C-130 aircraft on a search and rescue mission, landed at L F Wade International Airport at approximately 12.45pm for a re-fueling stop.“At 1.35pm, officials detected a running fuel leak from the aircraft’s external tank. Approximately 1,500 gallons of fuel had leaked from the aircraft.“Airport Fire & Rescue vehicles were on site to monitor the off-loading of the remaining fuel in the affected tank. A separate mechanical issue has also been detected and as of 5.30pm, the aircraft’s scheduled departure for this evening has been delayed.”
