U.S. and Canada militaries medevac 52-year-old woman, 99-year-old man from cruise ship near border

Two cruise passengers were medically evacuated from the ship off the coast of Washington state on Sunday, after each suffered a separate health emergency, authorities said. The United States and Canada carried out the evacuations in a coordinated effort, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

A 52-year-old woman and 99-year-old man were among the passengers on board Princess Cruises’ Ruby Princess cruise ship, which was sailing roughly 145 nautical miles west of Cape Flattery when the medical incidents occurred. The Coast Guard said members of the Ruby Princess crew requested immediate evacuations for both passengers Sunday morning because the woman had suffered sudden cardiac arrest and the man was experiencing “complete esophageal obstruction.”

The Coast Guard released video of an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew hoisting the 99-year-old passenger from the cruise ship.

The U.S. Coast Guard coordinated with the Royal Canadian Air Force and Canadian Coast Guard to retrieve the passengers from the Ruby Princess. Hoisting each passenger form the ship involved multiple rescue helicopters, one of which transferred the man to a Life Flight Network aircraft in Washington’s Neah Bay while another carried the woman, who required a life support machine, to Royal Jubilee Hospital across the Canadian border.

“This case demonstrates how our specialized expertise and dedicated training allows us to rapidly respond to these types of time-sensitive medical evacuations at sea,” said Kelly Higgins, the commanding officer of the Coast Guard Air Station at Port Angeles, which led the U.S. rescue operation, in a statement that praised their joint effort with Canadian forces.

CBS News has reached out to Princess Cruises for comment and more information. 

Sunday’s medical evacuations happened just over a week after two American tourists drowned at a private Bahamas resort owned by Carnival Cruise Line, which is open exclusively to passengers on its cruise ships. Carnival Cruise Line and Princess Cruises operate under the same parent company, Carnival Corporation.