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A dramatic joint operation by the RNLI, local coastguard officers, and RNLI lifeguards successfully rescued an elderly man who had fallen in Margate harbour and was in danger of being caught by the rising tide.
The incident began when the man stumbled and fell into shallow water near the King’s Stairs revetment, lying face down and unable to get up. Out of sight from the public, he was able to make a crucial call to emergency services, including HM Coastguard, who immediately dispatched Margate RNLI’s D class lifeboat and the Margate Coastguard Rescue Team. Meanwhile, RNLI lifeguards from Margate main beach were tasked to search the harbour area with their Water Rescue Craft. A member of the lifeboat crew on shore was the first to spot the casualty and directed the others to the scene.
With the man’s head just above the rising water, the rescue teams moved swiftly. Lifeboat crew, lifeguards, and coastguard officers, all in drysuits, waded through the shallow water to reach him. They worked together to keep his head clear of the water while formulating a plan to move him to the revetment steps for safety. The South East Coast Ambulance Service arrived on the scene and took the man into their care. After a thorough assessment, he was released without needing hospital treatment. All rescue units were then stood down. The successful rescue highlights the swift and coordinated response of Margate’s emergency services.
Christian Wright, Launch Authority, Margate RNLI said: “It was fortunate that this gent was able to raise the alarm himself as his location was out of immediate sight of anyone else, without his mobile phone the story could have had a different ending.”