Cruise Ship Returns to Miami With Medical Emergency

MIAMI BEACH — A cruise ship made an unscheduled stop in Miami early Sunday morning after a passenger suffered a medical emergency. The ship was approximately 90 miles south southeast of Miami at the time of the incident shortly after midnight. First responders from Miami-Dade Fire Rescue met the ship near South Beach.

Erika Benitez of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue told Patch on Sunday that first responders from Miami-Dade Fireboat 73 initially planned to meet the ship further from shore but the seas were too rough. (Sign up for our free Daily Newsletters and Breaking News Alerts for the Miami Beach Patch.)

Benitez said that the passenger was from Chile.

"Coordination was made with the Biscayne Pilots and FB73 to bring cruise ship back into Government Cut and conduct the medical transfer of the patient in the calmer seas of Miami's Main Ship Channel," Benitez explained. "Two Miami-Dade Fire Rescue medics boarded, assessed and help package a patient who suffered from a medical emergency and needed further definitive care."

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She said that Fireboat 73 transported the patient and two family members to the Port of Miami.

"Patient was then transported by ground on MDFR Rescue 27," she said. "The family from Chile remained together throughout the ordeal, although their vacation cut short."

Most of the passengers on the cruise ship were unaware of the medical emergency, according to Benitez, who did not identify the cruise ship, the victim or its parent company.

Watch as Fireboat 73 approaches the cruise ship:

Video and image courtesy of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue