Tunisia shooting victims flown home
A UK Royal Air Force (RAF) C-17 has returned from Tunisia, evacuating critically injured British nationals on behalf of the UK Government.
Image: Tunisian ambulances bringing injured British Nationals to the waiting RAF C-17 (© UK Crown copyright 2015)
A UK Royal Air Force (RAF) C-17 has returned from Tunisia, evacuating critically injured British nationals on behalf of the UK Government. The flight was requested by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, who are co-ordinated the evacuation after the terrorist beach attack in Sousse on 26 June.
The aircraft left RAF Brize Norton at just after midday today on 29 June after being specially modified for this mission, allowing it to carry additional stretchered patients. The following day, it returned to the UK carrying four patients. Two highly-trained RAF Critical Care Air Support Teams were onboard, including consultant anaesthetists, an anaesthetic registrar and intensive care nurses.
Speaking on 29 June, Squadron Leader Adam Manson, who helped to co-ordinate the aeromedical evacuation effort, said: “The C-17 allows us to bring back multiple critically injured patients safely and quickly on one aircraft. Having medically trained personnel onboard also helps us organise the patients’ onward moves to the appropriate major trauma centres around the UK. The RAF is well-versed in aeromedical missions, having performed the role in Afghanistan. The injuries the patients have sustained are very similar to the types of injuries the military can face and the teams we’ve sent are used to treating patients on aircraft – they’re in the best possible hands.”