A man plucked from the back of a fishing trawler in a daring rescue after reporting severe abdominal pain, was discharged from hospital last night.
The 30-year-old Christchurch man, who was not named by ambulance services, had complained of an upper abdominal injury while on the ship offshore from Taranaki.
An ambulance
spokesman said the man was released from New Plymouth Hospital last night. It was not clear what had caused his injury.
Taranaki rescue helicopter winch operator Steve Orr said the rescue had gone well, although it was only just possible as the 23m trawler Sea Fort, from Timaru, was 167km off the coast.
The helicopter's safe travel limit is 185km.
There had been concern about the time it would take to get the man back to hospital, as rescuers did not know what was causing his discomfort.
"Basically, he had severe abdominal pain of unknown cause. There was some hint he may have injured himself on the boat. That was the concern, that we didn't really know what was going on. It could've been anything," Mr Orr told NZPA.
The rescue, which began about 7.30pm, occurred in a 1m swell. The boat had to be turned to face into the wind and all obstructions, including any masts and aerials, had to be removed from the back of the vessel for the safety of the helicopter.
"We put a medic outside the door on a wire and we fly over the back of the boat and drop him down onto the boat. They do what they have to do and then we winch them and the patient back onto the helicopter," he said.
The helicopter managed to get back to land two hours later and just before dark, ensuring the whole manoeuvre was undertaken within regulations.
It would have taken between 14 and 17 hours for the vessel to make it back to shore.
- NZPA
