JEDDAH: Royal Saudi Naval Forces and the Saudi Arabian Border Guards rescued a 72-year-old French sailor after he fell ill while on a yacht in international waters.

A Border Guards spokesman, Lt. Musfer Al-Quraini, said the search and rescue coordination center in Jeddah (JMRCC) had been contacted by the French Gris-Nez Maritime Rescue Coordination Center to report that a crew member on the yacht had experienced a severe medical condition requiring evacuation.

He was suffering from internal bleeding and was 112 kilometers east of the Farasan Islands, a group of 84 coral islands that form an archipelago in the Red Sea.

The JMRCC located the boat, contacted its captain and liaised with a doctor at Jeddah’s King Fahd Hospital to provide medical guidance until the evacuation could be carried out.

Maritime units were deployed to provide medical assistance and coordinate the rescue effort.

The patient was evacuated by helicopter and moved to Prince Mohammed bin Nasser Hospital in the southwestern port city of Jazan, where he received medical treatment. He is in a stable condition.

The yacht was accompanied to Jazan, following coordination with the port’s administration.

The French Gris-Nez Maritime Rescue Coordination Center thanked the JMRCC for rescuing the sailor.