Barra Island RNLI rescues Pabbay Island injured rock climber
Barra Island RNLI rescued a rock climber who got into difficulty on Pabbay Island yesterday (Friday).
At 3.30pm, Barra Island RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat with a volunteer crew of six launched following a request from HM Coastguard to go to the aid of an injured rock climber on the uninhabited island of Pabbay, south of Barra in the Outer Hebrides.
Weather conditions at the time were good with sun and calm seas.
Approaching the scene, a local fishing vessel provided co-ordination to the crew assisting the lifeboat to the exact location.
On arrival, the crew observed that the climber who had sustained a shoulder injury had been assisted by fellow climbers who lowered him to sea level and onto a ridge.
In order to access the casualty a decision was made to launch the lifeboat’s smaller inflatable daughter Y Boat to take the climber safely onboard and then onto the all-weather lifeboat. The casualty was subsequently transferred to the Coastguard helicopter and airlifted to the mainland to receive medical assistance.
Speaking following the call out, Eoin MacNeil, Barra Island RNLI Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer said: ‘Due to the location of the rock and where the casualty was, the best thing to do in this situation was to launch our smaller inflatable boat on scene to bring him onboard and then safely transfer him to the all-weather lifeboat. We would like to wish the casualty a speedy recovery and commend his fellow climbers who went to his aid initially. We thank our colleagues in the Coastguard and the crew of the local fishing vessel who also assisted.’
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