CHRISTMAS ISLAND GIRL FLOWN TO HAWAII FOR

EMERGENCY TREATMENT

HONOLULU, Hawaii (December 14, 1997/Hulsen)---A 17-year-old girl from Christmas Island in Kiribati’s Northern Line Islands Group has been flown by the U.S. Coast Guard to Hawaii for emergency treatment.

The patient, Aranieta Evil, suffered a ruptured appendix.

A medical team consisting of a Navy flight surgeon, medics from the Air Force, and a Coast Guard corpsman flew to the island Thursday aboard a Coast Guard C-130 aircraft to assist the girl. Because of her serious condition, she was taken abroad the aircraft and evacuated to Honolulu.

Upon arrival, she was immediately taken by a waiting ambulance to Tripler Army Medical Center for specialized treatment.

Christmas Island is located 1,000 miles southeast of the Hawaiian Islands.