Heart-stopping video captured the moment the US Coast Guard medevacs an 8-year-old boy suffering from appendicitis off the deck of a cruise ship on the high seas near California.
The footage shows a Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin chopper hovering high over the Royal Princess on Tuesday before a crew member is hoisted down onto the deck to grab the youngster, the agency said.
The Ocean liner was 20 miles off the coast of Eureka, California, when the Coast Guard got the call about the boy’s medical ordeal around 7 a.m., authorities said.
The chopper reached the ship about an hour later and pulled the boy — who is seen wearing a white sweatshirt with a yellow hood — on board along with his mom.
He was rushed to the emergency room at Saint Joseph Hospital, where the boy was treated, officials said.