Kyle RNLI, Coastguard and air ambulance rescue casualty with broken leg stuck in rising tide
The air ambulance, UK Coastguard and Kyle RNLI came to the aid of a fallen casualty with a broken leg stuck on a bay with a rising tide.
On Friday afternoon (August 16), the pagers sounded at 1:46pm after the UK Coastguard received calls to a casualty who had fallen and badly broken their leg on the island in Plockton Bay as the tide was rising.
The lifeboat launched at 1:52pm and made best speed to the scene, arriving at 2:06pm. The Kyle RNLI explained that some of the crew went ashore, assessed the situation and assisted the ambulance paramedic. A short while later the air ambulance arrived and the casualty was transferred into the helicopter.
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The Kyle Lifeboat then assisted in transferring the ambulance crew back to the mainland, since the tide had now cut the island off. The lifeboat departed the scene at 3.25pm and returned to Kyle to be washed down, refuelled and made ready for service.
Then on Saturday morning (August 17), the UK Coastguard requested the lifeboat launch after receiving reports of sea swimmers in difficulty in the Skinedin area of Skye. The lifeboat launched at 8:40am and began a systematic search of the area along with other vessels who were in the area.
After a thorough search, there were no signs of the swimmers and it was established that it was a false alarm with good intent.
The lifeboat then returned to station at 10am and was refuelled and made ready for service.
And capping another busy spell for the crew, the lifeboat launched at 12.15pm this afternoon (Wednesday after the UK Coastguard received reports of a life raft in the water south of Kylerhea narrows.
A vessel had reported losing a life raft overboard yesterday, however the Coastguard wanted it checked and confirmed that there was no-one inside and that it was the same raft.
The lifeboat made best possible speed through the challenging conditions, and arrived on scene to find the life raft had blown onto the shore. A crew member went and checked it was empty, before then recovering the raft to the lifeboat.
The lifeboat then returned to Kyle with the life raft at 1pm. It was handed over to the UK Coastguard.
Speaking of the incident, Kyle RNLI helm Norman Finlayson said: “It was suspected to be the same life raft as was reported yesterday, but it's always best to be sure, and that there's nobody in it.
“The conditions were quite wild, especially through the narrows, but we have a well-trained crew and good equipment, so it gives you the confidence in the lifeboats abilities”.
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