St. Agnes RNLI rescue fallen climbers
St. Agnes RNLI lifeboat was alerted to an incident involving two climbers where one had fallen from a cliff near St. Agnes head. They were abseiling down the rock face when suddenly one of the ropes came loose.
On Monday evening (2 May) at about 5pm, HM Coastguard received a call from two climbers who were unable to ascend back up the cliff face and one of the climbers had obtained a nasty cut on his leg. They were unable to move due to the sharp, dramatic cliff face and a large swell beneath them.
Both St. Agnes cliff rescue team (CRT) and RNLI lifeboat were tasked to the incident about 10 minutes away from St. Agnes beach. Due to the position of the casualties, a member of the CRT abseiled down to the climbers and assisted them with the in-shore lifeboat (ILB).
St. Agnes RNLI helm, Ed Schwarz, along with his crew members, Fred and Iona, made the decision to extract both casualties and the CRT member on to the ILB and return them to shore by boat where they were greeted by the station’s recovery shore crew and the casualties were treated for their injuries.
Ed Schwarz says: ‘This is a prime example of the importance of always carrying a means of calling for help and letting somebody know where you are going, especially when doing an activity at the coast. Our lifeboat crew and St. Agnes CRT all pulled together and worked out the best possible way to rescue both casualties and return everyone to shore safely.’
RNLI media contacts
For more information please contact Becky Bright, RNLI Media Engagement Placement (South West) on 07929 673281 or [email protected]. or Tom Knight, St. Agnes Lifeboat Press Officer on [email protected] or Emma Haines, RNLI Regional Media Officer on 07786 668847 or [email protected]. Alternatively, please contact the RNLI Press Office on 01202 336789 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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