Heroic rescue efforts by a team from the British Army Training Support Unit saved a tourist's life last Friday afternoon in the Macal River. The team, headed by Major Katrina Ingram, faced challenging conditions, flying over rugged terrain, dealing with strong currents, and the possibility of running out of fuel. According to Major Ingram, the team's main concern was not the danger in which they had placed themselves, but saving the patient's life.

MAJOR KATRINA INGRAM: �It was only afterwards when talking to friends back in camp that I even realize that that was the river that tried to drag him under, the current dragged him under and I was actually talking about that there was crocodiles in that river as well and I am sure the area was fine. The water was flowing quite fast and at the time none of that had occurred to me at all my only thought was to get the casualty to get him out as quickly as we could because of the constraints that we had placed among us.�

The patient, whose name has been withheld for confidentiality reasons, had been submerged for several minutes before he was located and rescued. He has since returned to the U.S. after receiving treatment at Universal Health Services Hospital in Belize City. Major Ingram is the general practitioner who performed an open-air surgery on an accident victim on the Western Highway in January.