by Sarah Kuta
Last updated: 1:55 PM ET, Wed August 27, 2025
Emergency responders in the United States and Canada joined forces to medically evacuate two passengers from a cruise ship.
On Sunday, two guests suffered separate health emergencies while sailing aboard Princess Cruises' Ruby Princess off the coast of Washington.
A 52-year-old woman had suffered a sudden cardiac arrest and was on life support, while a 99-year-old man was experiencing a complete esophageal obstruction, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
The ship was roughly 145 miles west of Cape Flattery, Washington, at the time of the incidents.
The U.S. Coast Guard collaborated with the Royal Canadian Air Force and Canadian Coast Guard to perform the medical evacuations, which involved multiple aircraft: a CH-149 Cormorant, a CC-295 Kingfisher and a MH-65 Dolphin.
"This case demonstrates how our specialized expertise and dedicated training allows us to rapidly respond to these types of time-sensitive medical evacuations at sea," says Kelly Higgins, the commanding officer of the Coast Guard Air Station at Port Angeles.
“The expert coordination between the Canadian Coast Guard, the Life Flight Network, the Royal Canadian Air Force and the U.S. Coast Guard ensured [the patients] received the care they needed," Higgins continued.
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