British military called in to rescue cruise ship passenger bitten by seal

Gene Sloan | USA TODAY

The British military this week scrambled two aircraft and a warship to a remote area of the South Atlantic to rescue a cruise ship passenger bitten by a seal.

Britain's Royal Air Force says a search-and-rescue helicopter based in the Falkland Islands flew hundreds of miles to reach the unnamed British man, who was aboard the 92-passenger Akademik Sergey Vavilov. The helicopter was accompanied by a Royal Air Force Hercules tactical transport aircraft.

The man was bitten by what is thought to have been a fur seal during a visit to Salisbury Plain Beach on South Georgia Island, the Royal Air Force says. South Georgia is a rugged, glacier-covered island known for wildlife about 800 nautical miles to the southeast of the Falklands.

As part of the rescue operation, the Royal Navy offshore patrol vessel HMS Clyde sailed at high speed to a position 200 nautical miles east of Stanley in the Falkland Islands to serve as a refueling station for the helicopter.

After arriving at the Akademik Sergey Vavilov, the Royal Air Force helicopter hovered overhead while crew winched the injured passenger aboard to an awaiting British military doctor. The Royal Air Force says the man was in serious condition with a major injury to his arm in need of urgent medical attention.

Originally built as a scientific research vessel, the Akademik Sergey Vavilov operates expedition-style adventure cruises to remote regions including Antarctica, South Georgia and the Falkland Islands as well as the Arctic. The ship has a strengthened hull rated to operate in ice-filled polar waters and carries motorized Zodiac boats for landings in remote areas. Viewing wildlife such as seals, penguins and whales are a significant part of the ship's itineraries in the Southern Hemisphere.

The incident comes just days after Falkland Islands-based British military forces rescued passengers from another expedition-style ship operating in the region that caught fire.