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Early Boxing Day call for RNLI Douglas lifeboat crew volunteers

Lifeboats News Release

RNLI Douglas lifeboat volunteer crew members were paged just after 1.00am today(26 December) to assist Coastguards and Police in a search for a missing person.

Douglas lifeboat Sir William Hillary searches under the light from a parachute flare

RNLI/Mike Howland

Douglas lifeboat Sir William Hillary searches under the light from a parachute flare

The search was being conducted by Coastguards and Police along Douglas Promenade and beach. The RNLI all-weather lifeboat Sir William Hillary launched under the command of volunteer Coxswain Neal Corran and was tasked to carry out a sweep along the full length of Douglas beach as close inshore as the ebbing tide would safely allow.

Following several such sweeps of the shoreline without finding anyone the lifeboat crew widened the search to include the Tower of Refuge using flares to illuminate the area around the Tower. They also searched in the vicinity of the seaward side of the Victoria Pier resuming their earlier shoreline search of Douglas beach when no one was found near to either the Tower or the Pier.

At 2.15am following advice that the person reported as missing had been found safe and well elsewhere the lifeboat was stood down to return to station where it was re-housed and made ready again for service.

Notes for editors
Caption for one attached photo: "Douglas lifeboat Sir William Hillary searches under the light from a parachute flare". Credit: RNLI/Michael Howland

RNLI media contacts
For more information please contact Michael Howland, Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer on 07624 496029 or email [email protected] or
Eleri Roberts, Divisional Media Relations Manager (Wales and West) on 07771 941390 or 01745 585162. Alternatively contact RNLI Public Relations on 01202 336789.


Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI charity 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 146,000 lives.

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