Leverburgh RNLI responds to person in the water

On arrival at the scene, Leverburgh’s volunteer crew began a thorough search of the area to try and locate the casualty. The casualty was located and airlifted to hospital by Stornoway Coastguard Helicopter.

Once the casualty had been passed into the care of the Coastguard, RNLB Stella and Humfrey Berkeley and crew made their way back to the station. The Lifeboat was re-fuelled and ready for service again by 1050.

Police Scotland have since confirmed that the female sadly passed away. Leverburgh RNLI would like to express their sympathy to all involved in this morning’s incident.

Notes to editors

· Leverburgh RNLI lifeboat station has been operating since 2012. To learn more about the lifeboat station go to: facebook.com/leverburghrnli

· Police Scotland press release: https://www.scotland.police.uk/whats-happening/news/2019/march/woman-dies-beach-incident-harris

Key facts about the RNLI

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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