Brighton RNLI launch twice to search for missing people

The volunteer crew were paged on Wednesday to attend to a person entering the water 200m east of the Brighton Marina Arm.

In challenging conditions, the Brighton crew launched and were assisted by Newhaven Coastguard, Shoreham Coastguard along with the Coastguard helicopter.

After conducting an extensive search, with no further information available and with sea conditions deteriorating, the Coastguard deemed the search complete and the volunteer crew was stood down at 12:22pm.

RNLI volunteer and helm Ben Hylands said: 'We launched into very challenging conditions. Working with the Coastguard we carried out a search.

'I’m proud of my crew working together as a team in what were unpredictable waves at times.’

The crew was requested to launch again at 7.20pm on Friday night to assist Shoreham Lifeboat, Rescue helicopter 175 and coastguard teams, searching for a vulnerable person in the vicinity of Carats Café.

Once on scene lifeboats started searching. The helicopter crew located the casualty, landed on the nearby beach and they were given medical care by the helicopter paramedic and coastguard rescue volunteers before being taken to hospital by ambulance.

Please call 999 and ask for the coastguard if you see someone in distress in or near the water.

RNLI Media contacts:

· Lottie Ikonen, Lifeboat Press Officer (Brighton), [email protected]

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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