Horton and Port Eynon RNLI lifeboat in night launch to cliff fallers
At 1.30am on Sunday morning (28 May) volunteer crew of the Horton and Port Eynon RNLI Lifeboat Station were awoken from their beds by their pagers going off summoning them to the Lifeboat Station.
Information had been received from the UK Coastguard that two people were injured having fallen off the cliff at a point known locally as Boilers Slab which is between Port Eynon Bay and Mewslade Bay.
The RNLI lifeboat was quickly launched and made its way to the scene. Two members of the lifeboat crew were put ashore to help the injured people and scrambled over rocks to reach them. It was low tide.
The Coastguard Search and rescue helicopter attended and local members of the Coastguard Search and Rescue team also assisted in the rescue, as did police officers and ambulance crew. The rescue was coordinated by UK Coastguard at Milford Haven.
The two lifeboat crew who had gone ashore liaised with the helicopter crew and assisted the helicopter paramedic who was already on scene. They then assisted as the men were winched into the helicopter. Both injured men were taken to hospital in Cardiff. It was believed that one sustained head injuries and the other had leg injuries.
The injured males had been camping with friends nearby and had fallen off the cliffs.
The RNLI lifeboat returned to station at 04.30am as the sun was rising. The boat was then immediately refuelled and made ready for any other shout. The crew wearily made their way back to their beds at 6am.
The volunteer crew of the Horton and Port Eynon RNLI lifeboat were Dave Tonge, Matthew Fifield, Anthony Payne and Rachel Hurford.
Lawrie Grove, Lifeboat Operations Manager at Horton and Port Eynon RNLI, said: ‘I would thank everyone who turned out to assist in this rescue. A number of services assisted in the rescue and this is an excellent example of emergency and rescue services working closely and effectively together.’
Notes to editors:
For more information please contact Brin Hurford, Horton and Port Eynon RNLI Lifeboat Press Officer, on 07968 269550 or Chris Cousens, RNLI Press Officer, Wales and West, on 07748 265496 or 01745 585162 or by email on [email protected].
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