Two men rescued from the mud at Gillingham
Two men were taken to safety by the Sheerness RNLI lifeboat crew after their boat ran aground in the River Medway
Whilst out on exercise the volunteer crew of the Sheerness RNLI inshore lifeboat received a call at 8.35pm on Wednesday 28 June from the UK Coastguard reporting that a small craft with two men on board had run aground off Gillingham Strand and was in need of assistance.
After locating the casualty at 8.55pm high and dry on a mud bank the crew members managed to walk across to it where they found the two men aged 27 and 30 years old were both suffering from the cold, one in particular after having been in the water for some time.
With assistance from the Medway and Sheppey Coastguard rescue teams the ILB crew managed to get the two men ashore where a Kent ambulance was waiting to receive them.
The ILB crew then managed to drag the craft into deeper water and as there was no anchor on board to secure it they tied it off on a mooring buoy close to the Strand.
The ILB was released at 11.21pm and with the crew and the lifeboat covered in mud returned to station at 11.50pm and after a thorough wash down of all equipment, and crew, the ILB was ready for service again at 1.00am
It was later learned that this was the same craft the crew had been tasked to search for the previous evening after reports that it was missing but was later reported as being safe. Once again details of where the craft had been were not known.
Ends
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Vic Booth RNLI Lifeboat Press Officer (Sheerness) 07926904453 / 01795 880544 [email protected] / [email protected]
Paul Dunt RNLI Press Officer S.E. [email protected] 07786668825
• Tim Ash, RNLI Public Relations Manager (London/East/South East) on 0207 6207426, 07785 296252 [email protected]
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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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