8-Year-Old Boy Gets Airlifted Off Cruise Ship by U.S. Coast Guard amid Medical Emergency: See Video

• An 8-year-old boy experiencing a medical emergency had to be airlifted off a Princess Cruise Line ship on Tuesday, Sept. 24 by the U.S. Coast Guard 
• It was reportedly difficult for aircrew members to locate the vessel near Eureka, Calif. due to foggy conditions that day
• The boy, named Daniel, was successfully rescued and taken to Saint Joseph Hospital in Eureka where he underwent surgery 

The U.S. Coast Guard successfully completed a rescue mission involving an 8-year-old boy who was experiencing a medical emergency on a Princess Cruise Line ship.

The Royal Princess ship was about 20 miles west of Eureka, Calif. when Coast Guard Sector Humboldt Bay watchstanders were notified of the emergency on Tuesday, Sept. 24 at around 7 a.m. local time, according to a press release from the U.S. Coast Guard.

In the notification, crew members received word that “an 8-year-old male passenger onboard was diagnosed with appendicitis and needed to be medevaced,” per the release. 

Watchstanders then sent aircrew members on the MH-65 Dolphin helicopter around 8 a.m. local time.

“The aircrew arrived on-scene, hoisted the passenger along with his family into the helicopter,” the release states. 

Video footage of the harrowing rescue mission shows an aircrew member helping the boy, named Daniel, into a large metal rescue basket before he’s lifted up into the helicopter. The clip then shows what appears to be two more of his family members being brought up. 

Daniel was then taken to Saint Joseph Hospital in Eureka at around 9:40 a.m. local time. His mom, Nicole Jiang, opened up about the harrowing experience during a conversation with Good Morning America on Thursday, Sept. 26.

"The doctor in the cruise said the situation is very [much an] emergency ... Daniel got [a] very high fever and the situation [grew] worse and worse," Jiang told the outlet. 

Aircrew members recalled how foggy conditions made the rescue mission difficult. Despite the vessel being a “giant cruise ship,” they weren’t able to spot it immediately as a result of the weather, the outlet reports. 

Once Daniel was taken to the hospital, he reportedly had his appendix removed successfully and he's now in recovery. 

PEOPLE has reached out to a spokesperson for Princess Cruise Line but did not receive an immediate reply.

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In April, the Coast Guard completed another distressing rescue mission involving a pregnant passenger aboard Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Fantasy who was experiencing health complications on the ship. 

Video footage from the incident shows crew members transporting the 35-year-old patient on a stretcher and then airlifting her into the MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter.