Emergency responders were called to the Portland waterfront Monday morning for what was initially reported as a mass casualty incident aboard a cruise ship.
It turned out that four people with unrelated injuries and medical conditions arrived aboard the Celebrity Summit in need of medical attention, according to Toni Doucette, a facilities security officer for the Port of Portland. The emergencies included two heart-related emergencies, one case of pneumonia and a broken leg.
The mass casualty was declared around 9:30 a.m. to summon multiple rescue crews because all four people needed to be transported to a hospital, Doucette said. Shortly before 10 a.m., two ambulances, two fire engines and a police cruiser were still on the scene, as passengers continued to disembark from the ship at the Portland Ocean Terminal.
Doucette said an 86-year-old woman had pneumonia and a 70-year-old woman had a broken fibula, a non-weight bearing bone between the knee and ankle. Two others had cardiac problems, but details on their conditions were not immediately available.
“I don’t know the extent of it,” Doucette said.
Doucette said it is not uncommon for emergency responders to be called to port when a cruise ship arrives in Portland, and it is especially common when the arriving ships cater to older passengers.
The Celebrity Summit is carrying 2,038 passengers and 997 crew members, according to the city. It was scheduled to be in port from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
It is the 18th cruise ship to visit this season, which is expected to be Portland’s busiest yet.
This year, 103 ships are scheduled to visit, the largest number of ships Portland has ever hosted, according to the city. The season runs from May to November, bringing more than 125,000 passengers and almost 50,000 crew members.
The 2016 season saw the arrival of 77 ships and more than 100,000 passengers between May and October.
The cruise ship activity is in addition to The Cat, which ferries visitors daily between Portland and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.
Randy Billings can be contacted at 791-6346 or at:
rbillings@pressherald.com
Twitter: randybillings
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