HM Coastguard have launched a rescue operation for people cut off by the tide at Freshwater Bay.
Search and rescue teams from The Needles and Ventnor are responding to the incident alongside RNLI lifeboats from Yarmouth and Lymington.
The incident started at around 13:00 and Coastguard rescue officers have set up rescue gear at the top of the cliff with a view to winching the casualties up from the beach below.
UPDATE @ 14:05 – Coastguard helicopter 175 from Lee-on-Solent has been scrambled to the scene to assist in the rescue.
A winch man has been lowered down to the casualties to extract them by helicopter.
UPDATE @ 14:45 – The 1st casualty – a young female – has been successfully winched up by the helicopter and is now in the care of the Isle of Wight Ambulance Service, which has 2 ambulances and an Operational Commander on scene.
Efforts are now underway to winch up at least 1 other casualty.
UPDATE @ 15:05 – A 2nd casualty – an older female – has now been successfully winched up by the helicopter and is also now in the care of the Isle of Wight Ambulance Service.
Both ambulances and the helicopter remain on the scene but it is not yet known if there are any further casualties to rescue.
UPDATE @ 15:30 – Both casualties have been conveyed to St Mary’s Hospital for further assessment and all emergency services have now stood down from the incident.
Cut off by the tide.?
Didn’t want to get their feet wet. Walk it off, it’s September and the sea is warm and calm.
Seeing the location I also wonder if they had been supping alcohol at the coastguards pub at Freshwater Bay before embarking on a drunken walk along the beach.?
Hopefully the story leading up to the event will follow.
Either way it is an accident waiting to happen.
You really need to stop accusing the bus of getting people drunk. Show yourself to the local people who you are always slating
A very bitter person who feels wronged at somepoint in there life , and negativity has consumed them , therefore has a negative outlook on life .Slates the West Wight all the time, I for one and glad all involved are ok and grateful to the rescue services , oh and Sloop John B. I think you should move .
I do not slate them all the time, just the people that spend every day drinking or supplying people with drink. These people should move from the lovely west wight as they are ruining for others who just want peace and quiet.
I am still astounded that people think it is a good thing for a coastguard rescue station to serve alcohol on the beach. It is an accident waiting to happen. Get drunk and go out on a surf board or on a jet ski, or get drunk and get cut off by the tide. It’s dangerous.
I would strongly imagine that those who support it, and who slate objections from those who are against it are the ones who spend every day drinking. Who are the real people that are trying to save lives here.?
Were they just “cut off by the tide” or/and injured so “casualties” ?
Reporting an incident without the facts most probably. Also if the word casualty is used the operational cost can be justified.
Surely this is a rescue for the one of the ILBs at Freshwater Independent Lifeboat station – who are rarely called out. If back up is needed for health reasons then the helicopter may be necessary but to call out both Yarmouth and Lymington RNLI seems like a waste of money and resources.
I am sure that they will give a hefty donation towards filling the tank of the rescue chopper.? It must be close to a couple of thousands an hour.?
If not then they should be billed.
There’s a lot of thumbs down on all of these sensible comments, why.?
Well, duh!
Because the only thing they are “sensible” in is the microcephalic lump of porridge you utilise as a brain.
It depends if they were off service in which case the next nearest boat would be tasked. You’d need to ask the coastguard to get an answer . Alls well that ends well.
On the way back from Freshwater at approx 5.15pm
some Idiot on a motorbike nr Atherfield Bay
was speeding along towards oncoming vehicles, I would say when he went past my
vehicle the idiot was travelling 100mph+ I was doing 48mph
How the idiot did not kill himself or innocent motorists is amazing.
Then when driving through Whitwell an idiot on a quadbike was driving
along with 2 dogs on the back.
IS THERE NO LAW AND ORDER ON ISLAND ROADS?
How the Fcuk can an Idiot on a Motorbike get away with
going along at such speed.
He or she was going so fast a Speed Camera might not have
picked up their reg.
It was only a few weeks ago a motorcyclist died along this stretch.
Are all Motorcyclists Idiots
No more than someone who takes a rescue story and turns it into a rant about something else.
I cannot believe how Lawless the island is.
I just had to say what I saw.
I also saw a load of idiots parked along the military road watching and
filming this rescue.
Very dangerous the way they were parked.
I did see a couple or Ambulances there, no police.
Why don’t people check tide times?. At least 3 apps or website address for every beach
Casualties ?. Were they actually hurt or couldn’t be bothered to wait for the tide to go down so they could walk back again. On the face of it this sounds like a do about nothing and I can’t help wondering why the emergency services were so keen to get so deeply involved.
Suggest you read the updated version of the post, then retract your comment.
Something to do with one of the people breaking her ankle maybe?