A fishing boat skipper who fell gravely ill at the helm was rescued by the Ministry of Communication's South China Sea emergency relief helicopter on Monday last week.

The flight team's Zhanjiang base fielded an emergency call from the vessel captained by Hong Bing about 9:20 am after it became apparent he needed urgent medical attention.

After taking off at 10 am, the helicopter took just 25 minutes to arrive at the ship's location 30 nautical miles off Naozhou Island, Zhanjiang city, Guangdong province.

"We soon started our emergency relief plan and applied for a flight permit after receiving the report and we also contacted a local hospital for help," said Lin Jianren, one of the rescuers.

"We flew above the boat and soon winched the patient up to the helicopter, and we flew back at 10:35 am," Lin said.

Upon its return, the emergency aircraft landed at the Zhanjiang Potou airport, where the patient was ferried to a local hospital.

Dr Liu Xiang, who operated on the captain, said that Hong was suffering from duodenal ulcer perforation and would have died had he not received urgent attention.

Hong's three-hour operation was a success and he is now in good condition.

(China Daily 05/14/2008 page7)