Spratlys DX0P DXpedition Participant Evacuated for Medical Emergency

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[Updated 2015-04-23 1455 UTC] One of the participants in the just-ended DX0P DXpedition to the disputed Spratly Islands was airlifted from Pag Asa Island after suffering a medical emergency. Chito Pastor, WW6CP, became ill just as the DXpedition was starting to wrap up on April 20.

“The Medevac just arrived half an hour ago!” DXpedition leader Leo Almazan, WA6LOS, told ARRL early on April 23. “Chito is on his way to the hospital!”

Almazan said that he and four other team members were able to return to the Philippines on another flight. The remaining team members will remain on Pag Asa until a Philippine Navy Nomad aircraft takes them off the island on April 24. “From what I heard, they were all busy snorkeling all day,” said Almazan, who is now at his Angeles City home in the Philippines. He said he plans to fly stateside next month for Dayton Hamvention®.

According to Amateur Radio DX.com, an Adventist Medical Aviators Services aircraft that picked up Pastor landed safely in Puerto Princesa.

Members of the Mabuhay DX Group went to Pag Asa Island earlier this month and operated for about 5 days, logging some 5000 contacts. All of the DXpedition participants have roots in or reside in the Philippines.

Source 1: ARRL.org

April 23, 2015

Breaking News:
As of 12:45pm Philippine time April 23, the plane of the Adventist Medical Aviators Services (PAMAS) that flew to Pagasa for medivac to pick up Chito WW6CP and four others just landed in Puerto Princesa, Palawan!

Thank you for all your prayers and support.

73 de AE6WR

April 22, 2015

New Spratlys incident delays emergency evacuation of sick ham radio enthusiast from Pag-asa

By: Nonoy Espina, InterAksyon.com

MANILA, Philippines — The emergency medical evacuation of a sick amateur radio enthusiast from Pag-asa Island has been delayed for days after a Chinese naval vessel reportedly harassed a Philippine Air Force patrol flight in the Spratlys on Monday, forcing the cancellation of flights to the disputed territory.

The incident would be the latest in a long string of run-ins over the Spratlys, where China has embarked on an aggressive reclamation and construction spree on disputed islets and reefs, and follows an April 13 incident where a Chinese coast guard vessel fired a water cannon on Filipino fishermen in Bajo de Masinloc, also known as Scarborough Shoal.

Leo Almazan, a member of the ham radio Mabuhay DX Group, which is licensed by the National Telecommunications Commission and whose members are of Filipino ancestry, told InterAksyon.com they had gone to Pag-asa to set up an amateur radio operations and test a portable solar power system in coordination with the Philippine Navy Research and Development Center, as well as conduct a “mini medical mission,” as one of the team members is a doctor from Batangas.

Source 2: