Ill teen from Japanese fishing ship brought to O'ahu

Hiroshiki Okonai was flown to O‘ahu for immediate treatment of a possible collapsed lung. Okonai had been on a ship about 300 miles away from Hawai‘i.	A Coast Guard helicopter came to the aid of a student on the Aomori Maru, a Japanese fishery vessel. The ship changed course to meet the helicopter. Coast Guard

Advertiser Staff

A 17-year-old student from the Japanese fishery training vessel Aomori Maru was flown to O‘ahu yesterday by a Coast Guard helicopter for treatment at Kuakini Medical Center.

He was picked up about 100 nautical miles south of O‘ahu around 1 p.m. and brought to Barbers Point.

The Coast Guard was alerted at 9 p.m. Saturday night by the vessel’s agent that Hiroshiki Okonai was having lung problems. Coast Guard and Tripler Army Medical Center flight surgeons said the teenager probably had a collapsed lung and needed immediate treatment.

The ship was about 300 miles away and changed course to meet the helicopter.

[back to top]