UPDATED: A man has been airlifted to Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth this afternoon (Saturday) after sustaining an injury whilst onboard a vessel in Newtown Creek.
Coastguard Rescue helicopter 175 was scrambled to the remote inlet between Thorness and Hamstead, alongside Cowes RNLI lifeboat, shortly after midday.
The rescue resources spent an hour on scene before the casualty was airlifted directly to hospital.
It is currently unclear how serious the injuries are and how they were sustained.
The Needles Coastguard Rescue Team were also on scene, according to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA).
UPDATE @ 16:20 – It has been confirmed that the casualty was collecting mooring fees from a yacht at Newtown when he collapsed from a suspected heart attack, causing him to fall backwards and hit his head.
Initially medically trained staff who happened to be crewing the yacht attended to him. Then urgent resuscitation procedures were carried out by a paramedic winched down from the Lee-on-Solent-based Coastguard helicopter.
Due to the yacht’s location it was decided the man should be taken out of Newtown Estuary by the lifeboat, where he was then winched into the helicopter and flown to Portsmouth.
