Three people rescued by St Agnes RNLI Lifeboat

The volunteer crew of St Agnes RNLI was paged at 3.37pm this afternoon after the three women found themselves cut off by the rising tide and called for help. Just eight minutes later the lifeboat launched and made haste to the scene.

On route the crew received further information which located the casualties to the north of Porthtowan beach. Arriving at the location the crew were directed to the casualties by two members of Porthtowan Surf Lifesaving Club, who having alerted the Coastguard, had stayed with the casualties to make sure they were safe and reassured.

With the conditions favorable the D-Class inshore RNLI lifeboat was able to land up on what remained of the beach and recover the three casualties who were assessed by a volunteer crew member trained in casualty care. The three casualties were then transferred by the lifeboat to the beach at Porthtowan, where they were handed over to the care of Portreath Coastguard Cliff Rescue.

Senior Helm Tom Forehead remarked,

“With this fine weather people are bound to want to stay on the beach for as long as possible. Unfortunately, they are not always aware of the tides, and can all too easily become cut off. Today they did the right thing and called for help. It was great that our friends from Porthtowan Surf Lifesaving Club were there to help and reassure them.”

By 4:30pm the lifeboat returned to Trevaunance Cove where onlookers witnessed a neat and tidy recovery. The lifeboat was washed down, rehoused, refueled and ready for service by 4.45pm.

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,700 lives.

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Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.