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Stranded Boy Rescued from Rocks at Port Seton

Lifeboats News Release

Kinghorn RNLI Lifeboat’s volunteer crew was called out on Friday night to rescue a person stranded on rocks at Port Seton.

The lifeboat was requested to launch after UK Coastguard received a 999-call at 9.37pm reporting that a person was stranded on rocks east of Port Seton, with a rising tide.

The lifeboat was soon on scene and located the 16-year-old boy on Long Craig rocks off Port Seton.

Helmsman Scott McIlravie said, ‘we were arrived to find the casualty stuck on rocks with an incoming tide. We were able to navigate in the shallow water to the rocks where we managed to get the casualty onto the lifeboat without getting his feet wet!

‘The boy had been looking for small crabs and other sea life with a friend when they lost track of where they were and realised they were becoming cut off. His friend made it ashore, but he was too late to get past a large gap in the rocks, so stayed safe where he was and awaited rescue.

‘The young casualty did the right thing by calling for help rather than entering the water which can be hazardous. It’s a timely reminder to be careful when exploring the tidal areas of our shoreline and to be aware of the tide.

‘Once we had the boy onboard the lifeboat, we took him into Port Seton harbour where North Berwick Coastguard Rescue Team was awaiting our arrival to assist. The casualty was uninjured and did not require any medical attention.

‘We were then stood down to return to Kinghorn, however soon after arrival, whilst we were washing and fuelling the boat, we were tasked to a report of a person in the water at Methil at 11.37pm. Fortunately, whilst making our way to Methil, we were advised that the person had been recovered from the water and was in the care of the ambulance service.’

The crew was Scott McIlravie, Steven Wallace, Robert Rutherford, Anna Whyte, Steve Robinson, and Fraser Soutar.

The station is now in the final stages of preparing for our Open Day, which will be held on Saturday 6th July, starting at noon.

Notes to editors

The lifeboat approaches the rocks to rescue casualty

RNLI King

Casualty on rock

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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