Wells RNLI tasked to help with search for missing elderly man
HM Coastguard paged inshore RNLI Wells lifeboat for immediate launch at 9.42am on 16 July to help with the search for an elderly man who had last been seen on the evening of Thursday 14 July.
The inshore lifeboat launched outside the Boathouse at 10.15am and proceeded to the river Stiffkey off Blakeney Channel, locally received information indicated that the man often camped there.
The elderly man had last been seen launching his dinghy from Blakeney harbour. The information that was given was that the man was likely to be somewhere nearby amongst the creeks and marsh camping on his boat; he was not likely to have gone out to sea.
At 10.39am the inshore lifeboat searched river Stiffkey freshes together with the Coastguard unit but nothing was found, At 10.49am the inshore lifeboat proceeded to search into Blakeney Pit towards Blakeney harbour.
By 11.33am the inshore lifeboat had searched up to the approach to Blakeney harbour and back along the northern side of Blakeney pit to seaward but the elderly man hadn't been found.
The lifeboat was stood down due to the ebbing tide and proceeded back towards the lifeboat house and arrived back at the station at 12.15am.
The elderly man was found safe and well moored in Cabbage creek, Stiffkey at 12.45pm.
The lifeboat was then sanitised, rehoused and refuelled and back on service again at 12.48am.
In addition to the inshore lifeboat the search involved several Coastguard teams, the Police and a police drone. An air sea rescue helicopter was also tasked.
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For more information, please contact Jessica Curtis, Wells RNLI volunteer Deputy Lifeboat Press Officer on: 07860200790 or [email protected]
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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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