A British tourist was given “urgent medical attention” by British forces after being bitten by a fur seal on an island in the southern Atlantic.
The tourist was visiting South Georgia on Russian adventure ship the MV Akademic Sergei Vavilov, when he sustained a major arm injury.
Royal Navy and Royal Air Force crews, based 800 nautical miles away in the Falkland Islands, went to his aid, and the man was later airlifted to hospital in the Falklands.
The man was bitten while at Salisbury Plain Beach on South Georgia.
With urgent medical attention required, HMS Clyde, an RAF Hercules and an RAF Search and Rescue helicopter were launched with a military doctor onboard.
Commander Darren Bone told the BBC: “We were able to deliver him to hospital in Stanley over 24 hours earlier than would have been the case had he remained on the ship.
“This successful rescue operation, conducted at maximum range from the Falkland Islands, demonstrates very clearly the value and capability of British naval and air forces working together.”
The operation came a week after British Forces worked with other agencies to help rescue 347 passengers and crew from the stricken Ponant cruise ship Le Boreal.