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VIDEO: Woman rescued from cruise ship by Coast Guard

Posted at 11:18 AM, Feb 20, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-20 19:50:02-05

SAN DIEGO — U.S. Coast Guard rescued a woman in distress from a cruise ship 86 miles southwest of San Diego Monday morning.

The 73-year-old woman had been experiencing persistent severe abdominal pain since Sunday at about 5:15 p.m.

A Coast Guard flight surgeon recommended she be medically evacuated from the Star Princess cruise ship that was en route to Ensenada, Mexico, so she could seek emergency medical care on land.

Since the ship was more than 400 miles off the coast of San Diego, a rendezvous point was determined and the MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter crew was read to launch at 6:00 a.m. this morning. 

"While most people are enjoying a long President's Day weekend, we can't forget illness and injury don't take holidays," said Lt. Tim Nicolet, aircraft commander and pilot of the Jayhawk. "Fortunately for this patient, neither do we." 

The rescued woman was transported to the hospital in stable condition. 

Sandy Coronilla is a KGTV digital producer. Follow her @10NewsSandy