British Paratroopers Land on Remote Tristan da Cunha to Aid Suspected Hantavirus Case
Paratroopers landed on a rocky golf course to deliver oxygen and medical personnel to Britain's most remote overseas territory, Tristan da Cunha, following a suspected hantavirus case, an army commander said.
The UK Health Security Agency confirmed Friday that a British national had disembarked from the cruise ship MV Hondius to the South Atlantic island with a suspected hantavirus infection.
Six paratroopers, a Royal Air Force (RAF) consultant, and an army nurse from 16 Air Assault Brigade parachuted onto the island, which is normally only reachable by boat. Oxygen supplies and medical aid were also airdropped.
An RAF A400M transport aircraft flew from RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire to Ascension Island, supported by an RAF Voyager, before heading to Tristan da Cunha.
Tristan da Cunha, part of a volcanic island group in the South Atlantic, is Britain's most remote inhabited overseas territory, with no airstrip and a population of 221.
Brigadier Ed Cartwright, commander of 16 Air Assault Brigade, said there was "7,000 miles and about 56 hours" between the request for help and having "those parachutists and those medical stores on the ground."
Describing the mission, he told Sky News: "No airstrip, high winds, very difficult to reach, and over a week for a boat, and the patient, as I understand, was on oxygen, and that oxygen supply was running out – so we had very few options."
He added: "I think the soldiers will have had a great time, but it's pretty risky. Parachuting has some inherent dangers. The winds were reasonably high."
The parachutists described it as a "pretty tasty jump," he said. "They would have got out of the aircraft, had to turn straight into wind to avoid being pushed past the island and into the Atlantic, and then had a very difficult descent down through the cloud and on to the drop zone, which was a golf course covered in rocks."
The army commander said there was a plan to extract them. "There are some ships being moved and some further medical support being prepared, so we'll be able to extract them safely in due course."
The Ministry of Defence said it was the first time medical personnel had been parachuted in for humanitarian support.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the safety of "all members of the British family" was the top priority. "We will continue to work closely with international authorities and the Tristan da Cunha administration, keeping those affected informed and ensuring the right support is in place in the UK and across the overseas territories," she said.