Beaumaris Lifeboat investigate a reported Fireball falling into the Menai Strait
At 11.17 am on Wednesday 8 November 2023 the volunteer crew members of the Beaumaris lifeboat received a page from H.M. Coastguard, requesting they assist in a search for a possible downed light aircraft.
The relief Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat Irene Cornford currently based at Beaumaris with her volunteer crew launched at 11.29 am and proceeded to the designated search area.
Further reports then indicated that the object seen may have been a Red Flare.
In addition to the lifeboat volunteers, the Mobile Coastguard teams from Penmon and Bangor had also been tasked together with north Wales Police units,
The lifeboat and coastguard units spoke with people on the banks of the Menai Strait, but no one had seen a red flare.
Further investigations indicated that the flare had probably been fired from inland.
With nothing found lifeboat with her volunteer crew was instructed to return to Beaumaris. the craft returned to her station in Beaumaris at 12.38 pm to be refuelled and cleaned, being ready for service by 1.15 pm. Once this had been completed the crew left the station.
A RNLI spokesperson said ‘whilst in this instance it would appear no one was in distress we would like to thank all the people who telephoned the coastguard to report the object seen in the sky. As all the call had been made with good intent’.
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