Two teenagers rescued by Torbay RNLI after five-hour night-time search & rescue

Two of the casualties were found shortly after midnight, distressed but safe, in Churston Woods by the Coastguard Rescue Team (CRT) who then continued their land-based search for the remaining two teenagers. Offshore, the ILB and her three volunteer crew continued the search along the coastline for the two teenagers.

Using an onboard Forward-Looking Infrared (FLIR) thermal camera, the children were located by the ILB crew unharmed on a ledge at the bottom of a cliff close to the Seven Quarries area of the coast. A sheer cliff face above the ledge meant access and recovery over land at night-time by the CRT in the poor visibility was not possible.

With concern for the continued welfare of the children in their precarious location, Torbay RNLI’s duty coxswain coordinated a recovery plan with the Brixham Coastguard Rescue Team and Devon and Cornwall Police, using the ILB to recover the casualties from the ledge. Torbay RNLI’s All-Weather Lifeboat (ALB) and her seven volunteer crew also launched to support the ILB in the recovery efforts, accompanied by officers from Devon and Cornwall Police to perform initial welfare checks of the children once recovered from the ledge.

A rough sea state and the risk of a sudden thunderstorm made access to the ledge in the continued darkness hazardous. The ILB’s crew carefully manoeuvred the ILB close to the ledge from where they were able to safely recover the casualties - by now tired and cold - into the ILB as dawn was breaking. The casualties were then transferred shortly afterwards to the ALB, and into the care of the police officers.

The lifeboats, her crews and the casualties then returned to Brixham harbour after a long night, arriving back at Torbay Lifeboat Station at 5:15am. The two lifeboats were then readied for service again by 5:30am.

This was the second tasking of the night for the volunteer crews. Earlier in the evening at dusk, the ILB and ALB had both been tasked to the same area of coastline where a group of paddleboarders had been washed ashore. The ILB crews safely recovered five children and three adults from the inaccessible shore and transferred them to the ALB located a little further offshore as night fell.

Andrew Medley, Deputy Coxswain commented, “It was a busy – and long – night for the volunteer crews of both lifeboats. Having earlier rescued eight stranded paddleboarders from the coast at Seven Quarries, the teams were tasked just two hours later to locate the missing teenagers in the darkness. Our crews were able to quickly locate them in an inaccessible and exposed location at the base of a cliff face. With a recovery over land not possible until daylight, our ILB and ALB worked together closely and with Brixham Coastguard Rescue Team and Devon and Cornwall Police to plan and execute a night-time recovery using the lifeboats, bringing the two teenagers safely home despite the challenging conditions.”

Jack Hawketts, ILB Helm, commented, “We’re pleased we were able to bring the ten casualties to safety over the course of the two shouts of the night. It’s a part of the coastline that’s not easily accessible – especially at night and in challenging sea conditions. But the crew of the ILB, supported by the ALB and her crew were able to put into practice their many hours of training to achieve a good outcome. We’re all now just looking forward to a little bit more sleep!”

RNLI Media Contacts

For further information, please contact:

Klaus Goddard, Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer for RNLI South West, [email protected]

Emma Haines, RNLI Regional Communications Manager for South West England, 07786 668847, [email protected]

Amy Caldwell, RNLI Regional Communications Lead for South West England, 07920 818807, [email protected]

RNLI Press Office, 01202 336789, [email protected]

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