Islay lifeboat assists evacuation of sick casualty
Islay RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew were asked by Belfast Coastguard Station to assist, if required, at the evacuation by helicopter of an ill male passenger from the cruise ship Boudicca on the afternoon of the 5 September.
Islay RNLI all-weather lifeboat Helmut Schroder of Dunlossit 11 was launched at 12.45pm with a crew of seven on board and aimed to rendezvous with the Boudicca, which was lying seven miles west of Islay, but the rescue helicopter arrived on the scene first. The patient was safely winched aboard it and transferred to hospital in Glasgow.
The lifeboat was asked to stand down at 1.35pm and returned to the station at 2.30pm and was refuelled by 3.pm.
RNLI media contacts:
Heather Dewar, RNLI volunteer lifeboat press officer at Islay, on 01496 840600 (H) and Islay lifeboat station on 01496 840608, email [email protected]
Henry Weaver, RNLI Regional Media Manager for Scotland, 01738 642946, 07771 943026, [email protected]
RNLI Public Relations on 01202 336789
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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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