Two Cruise Ship Crewmembers Burned in Engine Room Accident

alt — Coast Guard Jayhawk helicopter (USCG file image)

[Brief] On Monday, the U.S. Coast Guard medevaced two crewmembers who sustained second-degree burns in an accident aboard the cruise ship Norwegian Escape off Atlantic Beach, North Carolina.

A crewmember aboard the cruise ship contacted watchstanders at the Coast Guard's Fifth District command center at 1550 hours and reported that two young Filipino crewmembers suffered burns due to an accident in the engine room.

Watchstanders at the Fifth District command center dispatched an MH-60 helicopter aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City to assist. When they arrived on scene, the aircrew hoisted up the two men, accompanied by a ship's doctor, and transported them to the Rocky Mount-Wilson Regional Airport in Nash County, North Carolina. EMS personnel met them at the airport.

“Our crews train for a wide range of situations, so when we are contacted we are prepared to get people the help they need in a timely fashion,” said Thomas A. Botzenhart, Fifth District search and rescue coordinator.