Cowes lifeboat attends two similar Solent emergencies

The first call-out concerned a man and a women needing assistance in the sea off Lepe in Hampshire. The lifeboat, which launched at 8.14 pm arrived to find that although the couple had by then made the shore, both were suffering from cold and from the effects of swallowing sea-water.

They were attended to by lifeboat crew member, Dr Will King, who administered oxygen. Eventually they were taken to a waiting ambulance for assessment.

Then, just as the lifeboat was in the process of being recovered into the Cowes station, there came another alert over concerns for a man and a woman in the sea off East Cowes. `

The lifeboat crew arrived to find both sick from water ingestion; although the man quickly recovered, the woman was eventually stretchered to a waiting ambulance. Again Dr King played a key role in the initial care, once more administering oxygen.

Coastguard teams also attended both emergencies, with one from Lymington at Lepe, and two from Bembridge and Ventnor at East Cowes.

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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 142,700 lives.

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