U.S., British military rescue Russian civilian

The U.S. and British military rescued a civilian mariner Sunday after he fell from a cargo ship sailing in the central Persian Gulf, a military official said.

The 30-year-old Russian, whose name was not released, fell from the Cypriot-flagged chemical transport ship M/V Peter Paul and was not injured. The man, an engineer, returned to duty after he received a medical check-up aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold, said British Lt. Iain Jones, a spokesman for Combined Maritime Forces in Bahrain.

The Benfold arrived at the scene 90 minutes after receiving a distress call from the Peter Paul. Additionally, the Royal Navy type 23 frigate HMS Kent launched a helicopter. Its pilots spotted the civilian mariner an hour after they took flight from the Kent, which was sailing 150 miles from the scene, Jones said.