Like us, you might’ve noticed the Coastguard helicopter (India Juliet) scanning the sea with her spotlight on Sunday night. Seeing it sent a shiver down my spine, knowing that there must be good reason for her flight.
They’d been called out at 9pm when two women in their early twenties were reported missing.
The women had set out for a walk with a friends dog in the afternoon and were supposed to be going to a party in the evening. When they didn’t return from the walk or turn up at the party, the alarm was raised.
The weather was horrendous on Sunday night, raging winds, rain and pretty cold and the search, in conjunction with Police and Firefighters took almost three hours.
Eventually the women were found in a gully, which they had fallen into.
Thank goodness their absence was noticed, because they had no way of raising the alarm. They were found wet, tired and suffering symptoms of hypothermia.
The coastguard’s Isle of Wight sector manager, Mick Forsyth-Caffrey, said: ‘This was an extremely difficult search in atrocious weather and arduous conditions. We are all extremely pleased that we were able to locate the women and they are now in the care of the medical authorities.’
We wish them both a speedy recovery and raise our hats once again to the Coastguard for another successful rescue. The dog, a collie, has been safely returned to its owners.
Thanks to David Packman for image.
