A 43-year-old fisherman was rescued by the Air Force on Tuesday off Povoa de Varzim, after being bitten in the leg by a blue shark.
An alert was received from the Filipa Miguel on Tuesday morning, at a position 206 nautical miles to the west of Povoa de Varzim, a village to the north of Oporto.
According to the Maritime Police, "one of the crew had been bitten in the leg by a shark while working on board and was suffering uncontrolled bleeding due to a loss of leg muscle."
The case was prioritised and an urgent medical evacuation ordered. An EH-101 Air Force helicopter was scrambled and the crew flew the man to Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport in Oporto, landing at 12:42. The emergency ambulance service met the helicopter and took the fisherman to Hospital de S. João.
The efficient, if unusual operation, was coordinated by the Centre for Maritime Search and Rescue in Lisbon, in conjunction with the ambulance service and the Portuguese Air Force.
