Bad weather, Veneto: two fishermen in difficulty in the lagoon rescued during the night as a helicopter Aeronautica Militare

(To air Force)
03/11/19

An HH-139A helicopter of the 15 ° Stormo of the Italian Air Force intervened during the night to rescue two fishermen in difficulty on their boat in the Venetian Lagoon, near Chioggia.

The alarm crew, after being activated by the Rescue Coordination Center of the Italian Air Operation Center in Poggio Renatico, took off from the military airport of Cervia - home of the 15 ° Stormo - and headed for the intervention area.

The research and subsequent recovery activities, which took place through the use of the winch, were particularly complex due to the poor visibility and the severe weather that affected the area.

Thanks to the use of night vision goggles - Night Vision Goggle (NVG) and the high level of training of the SAR (Search & Rescue) crews, the operations were completed in complete safety. The two rescued men, in an advanced state of hypothermia, were transferred to the Chioggia hospital where they were entrusted to the care of the 118 doctors.

Due to severe bad weather, the military helicopter was unable to return to Cervia airport but had to land in Bologna, an alternate airport. The crew only returned to Cervia this morning. Identifying alternate airports to be used in an emergency or for flight safety reasons is part of the fundamental phases of operational flight planning.