A 16-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl were saved in the nick of time after getting stuck in the mud between Thorness and Gurnard yesterday evening (Sunday). The pair had been walking along the coast when they got into difficulty at around 17:00, finding themselves stuck fast with water rising to their knees and upwards towards their waists. As darkness descended, a multi-agency search and rescue operation was launched. After frantically hunting along the remote coastline, the 2 casualties were located and efforts to free them from their sticky situation began, as first reported by Island Echo. Coastguard Rescue Teams from The Needles and Ventnor were joined by firefighters from Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service, as well as volunteer lifeboat crew from Cowes RNLI and Gosport Independent Lifeboat. After several hours in the mud, the young girl was the first to be extracted, followed sometime later by her 16-year-old friend. Each was carried to the shore by stretcher and provided with very welcome blankets to warm them up. Coastguard Rescue 163 helicopter from Lydd, in Kent, was scrambled to the scene but in the end, was not required. Emergency services were stood down shortly after 20:30, but then began the task of washing down the Thorness mud from all the equipment, vehicles and personnel before returning to their respective stations.
If you or someone else is in difficulty on the coast or at sea, or if you spot what you think may be unexploded ordnance, then dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard. Further safety information can be found at https://coastguardsafety.campaign.gov.uk/.
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what3words have divided the world into 3m squares and given each square a unique combination of three words, which means when you are in a remote area of the Isle of Wight you can get assistance much quicker without the need for local knowledge.
