Off the Portuguese coast on August 16, a 35-year-old Indonesian fisherman was injured by a blue shark (Prionace glauca). The incident occurred about 105 nautical miles (approx. 170 km) west of Vila do Conde. The navy coordinated an urgent medical evacuation by EH-101 “Merlin” helicopter of Squadron 751.
Multi-hour rescue from the high seas
The man was on board the Vila do Infante when the bite on his leg caused heavy bleeding. After about five hours of flight, the helicopter landed at Sá Carneiro Airport; from there he was taken to São João Hospital. The patient was admitted to the intensive care unit, and his condition was assessed as positive.
Likely provoked incident
Initial indications suggest that the bite came from a captured blue shark. In this case, the incident is considered provoked – an important distinction in the statistics from unprovoked shark incidents.
"On board is a crew member who was bitten by a blue shark – severe bleeding," reported the navy during the alert.
