The US Coast Guard (USCG) medevaced 2 crew suffering from chemical burns onboard a Celebrity Cruises ship off of Virginia Beach on Wednesday, June 1.
The ship Celebrity Summit contacted the Coast Guard 5th District Command Center in order to get assistance for the crew as the liner was located ~69 mi / 111 km from shore. Both crew were reportedly suffering from chemical burns and in need of further medical care.
A CG Air Station Elizabeth City MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew hoisted the crew and the physician from Celebrity Summit. The trio was transported to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital.
No further details about where the crew members have been unveiled.
According to Mr. Ryan Langley, a 5th District Coast Guard Command Center operations watchstander, the USCG trained daily for situations like that.
“Being that there are so many hazards on the water, we remain always ready so that we can respond effectively to answer the public’s call.”
At the time of the accident, Celebrity Summit was sailing on a 10-day "Bermuda and Charleston Cruise" roundtrip from NYC New York visiting Newport Rhode Island and Charleston South Carolina.
For more Celebrity Summit incidents and accidents see the ship's CruiseMinus page.