- A 75-year-old American tourist fell acutely ill while aboard a boat near Dia Island on Sunday afternoon.
- The Heraklion Port Authority launched a swift rescue operation, dispatching a Coast Guard patrol boat to the vessel located six nautical miles out.
- The patient was safely evacuated to the port of Heraklion and rushed to Venizeleio Hospital by an EKAV ambulance crew.
A rapid maritime rescue operation was executed by the Heraklion Coast Guard on Sunday afternoon following a medical emergency on a vessel near Dia Island. A 75-year-old American national, who was traveling on a boat off the coast of the small island just north of Heraklion, suddenly became severely unwell and required urgent medical intervention.
The Heraklion Port Authority was notified of the situation immediately. Recognizing the critical nature of the medical emergency at sea, officials ordered a patrol boat to intercept the vessel, which was located approximately six nautical miles away from the main harbor.
The Coast Guard crew reached the vessel quickly, transferring the elderly American tourist onto the patrol boat and administering initial care while speeding back to the mainland.
Upon arriving at the Port of Heraklion, an emergency medical team from the National Centers for Emergency Care (EKAV) was already waiting on the pier. The patient was stabilized on-site and quickly transferred to the Venizeleio Hospital in Heraklion for thorough medical evaluation and treatment. No further updates on his specific medical condition have been made public.
