TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Ministry of the Interior's (MOI, 內政部) National Airborne Service Corps (內政部空勤總隊) dispatched Black Hawk helicopters (黑鷹直升機) to conduct two rescue missions to Orchid Island (蘭嶼) from Thursday (Aug. 29) evening to early Friday (Aug. 30).
The helicopters transported a 4-year-old boy surnamed Chiang (江) and a 30-year-old tourist surnamed Hu (胡) to Taitung Mackay Memorial Hospital (台東馬偕醫院).
The missions began around 8 p.m. Thursday when the third squadron of the third brigade stationed at Taitung Airport (豐年機場) received an emergency call. They dispatched a Black Hawk helicopter to Orchid Island, airlifting the boy, who had drowned, and his family to Taitung Airport. An ambulance then transferred them to Taitung Mackay Memorial Hospital.
At 11 p.m., the National Airborne Service Corps received another call to rescue Hu, who had suffered a head injury in a car accident. The helicopter transported Hu back to Taitung around 1 a.m. Friday, and he was subsequently taken to the hospital.
Taitung Mackay Memorial Hospital reported Friday morning that Chiang remains in the emergency room under observation for pulmonary edema, while Hu is receiving treatment in the intensive care unit.
These timely rescues underscore the critical role of the National Airborne Service Corps in providing emergency medical transportation. The hospital continues to monitor both patients' conditions closely.