Heroic video of a cruise ship airlift after passenger suffers heart attack at sea

A male passenger was airlifted from the Pacific Encounter after suffering a cardiac episode while the ship was 460 km off the coast of Cairns. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority coordinated the rescue, deploying a Cairns-based rescue helicopter and Challenger aircraft to assist. The passenger was safely winched aboard the helicopter and flown to Cairns Hospital for urgent treatment. Initially sailing in Papua New Guinea waters, the cruise ship moved closer to Willis Island to allow the helicopter to refuel. This video captures the intense rescue, with the aircraft battling ocean winds to land on the cleared top deck.