Chile and Argentina conduct successful aeromedical evacuations

The Chilean Air Force (FACh) successfully completed an aeromedical evacuation of a patient from Antarctica to Punta Arenas in less than 24 hours. Following a request received on October 2, a C-130 Hercules aircraft was deployed from Pudahuel Air Base, making a logistical stop at the Chabunco Air Base to pick up a medical team. The mission concluded with the patient being transported from the Presidente Eduardo Frei Antarctic Base to a medical center in Punta Arenas.

In a separate maritime operation, the Argentine Naval Prefecture rescued an Indonesian crew member from a Portuguese-flagged fishing vessel, the ‘Novo Virgem Da Barca’. The crew member, aged 57, exhibited symptoms of a stroke while the vessel was approximately 425 kilometers off the coast of Mar del Plata. An Argentine aircraft and helicopter were deployed to the site, where rescuers performed a hoist maneuver to airlift the patient to a medical facility in Mar del Plata.