Bulgaria's air ambulance service has made 370 flights since it began in June 2024. The Air Emergency Medical Care Center said on Facebook that 204 of those flights took place this year alone.
Of the total, 285 were transfers, moving a patient from one hospital to another. In the other 85, a helicopter flew straight to the scene of an accident and took the injured person to a hospital that could treat them.
Patients flown have ranged from a one-month-old baby to a 92-year-old, the oldest treated so far.
Most people who need this kind of transport have severe injuries or heart and blood vessel problems, the center says, along with multiple injuries and organ failure. Car crashes, falls from height and workplace accidents are the most common causes.
The center thanked all the crews who fly the missions, as well as its partners: Bulgaria Heli Med Service EAD, the National 112 System directorate, the Mountain Rescue Service, emergency medical care centers and hospitals.