Ramsey RNLI successfully rescue vulnerable person after two hour search
At 1:03 am on the morning of Tuesday 21 August volunteers of Ramsey RNLI crew were paged by Belfast Coastguard following a request by the Isle of Man Constabulary for assistance with a missing person search.
At 1:15 am Ramsey’s all-weather Mersey class lifeboat RNLB Ann & James Ritchie launched to join the police and Ramsey Coastguard in a search for a vulnerable woman who had entered the sea and swam away from the steps of the South Pier of Ramsey Harbour entrance. The stations shore crew supported police and coastguard officers by searching from the shore. The Isle of Man’s Search and Rescue Dog Association and Prestwick 199 rescue helicopter were also mobilised. The wind was light and the sea calm, however conditions were misty at times and this hindered the search.
After two hours of searching Ramsey Bay the lifeboat located the young woman who was very distressed and cold but otherwise unharmed. She was safely recovered to the lifeboat and cared for by members of the crew trained in casualty care. The lifeboat sped to the shore and transferred the woman into the care of waiting ambulance personnel. She is now recovering in hospital.
Station Mechanic Ali Clague later said: ‘We are all absolutely thrilled that we found this young woman and helped her to safety and we wish her a speedy recovery.’
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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