4 Passengers From 3 Separate Cruise Ships Evacuated Within 24 Hours

The U.S. Coast Guard in San Diego said its aircrews rescued four passengers suffering from serious medical conditions from three different cruise ships off the Southern California coast within a span of 24 hours.

The Coast Guard 11th District Rescue Coordination Center in Alameda, California, received a call from the captain of the cruise ship Carnival Panorama at 7:10 p.m. local time Friday, saying that a 47-year-old woman aboard the ship was experiencing "a progressive acute illness," according to a news release.

An MH-60 Jayhawk aircrew from Coast Guard Sector San Diego met the Carnival Panorama 100 miles south of San Diego and lifted the unnamed woman from the deck. She was brought to the Scripps Memorial Hospital in San Diego in serious condition.

At 10:20 p.m. that night, an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew was dispatched again after receiving a medevac request from the cruise ship Majestic Princess.

The Coast Guard aircrew met the ship 150 miles southwest of Point Conception off the coast of Santa Barbara County at about 10 a.m. Saturday and rescued two unidentified women suffering from serious medical conditions.

A 77-year-old woman suffered kidney failure, while a 74-year-old woman exhibited stroke-like symptoms, according to the Coast Guard. They were also taken to Scripps Memorial for further medical evaluation.

At 12:20 p.m. Saturday, the same helicopter aircrew was sent to rescue an elderly passenger on the Carnival Spirit cruise ship located 86 miles west of San Clemente Island after the ship made a distress call.

The crew rescued an 84-year-old woman who suffered stroke-related symptoms on board. She was taken to Coast Guard Sector San Diego's emergency medical services.

The Coast Guard has yet to provide details on the conditions of the passengers.

The Coast Guard rescue 6019 aircrew flew 7.2 hours in total for the three separate medical evacuations, which was a record, according to officials.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Coast Guard said Thursday that it suspended the search for a cruise ship passenger from Australia who went overboard a few hundred miles off the coast of Hawaii.

The incident occurred at 11:03 p.m. local time Tuesday, when the Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu received a report from the Quantum of the Seas cruise ship that a man had gone overboard 500 miles south of Kailua Kona, Big Island, according to the Coast Guard.

The crew of the ship searched for more than two hours and deployed six life rings but could not find the passenger.

The Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point deployed a C-130 Hercules aircrew at 7 a.m. Wednesday, but it did not find the man despite completing five searches. The rescue operation dragged on until the next morning, before the Coast Guard announced it was suspending its active search.

It was unclear how the man ended up going overboard.