SEARCH FOR MAN SPOTTED IN HELFORD RIVER
Three coastguard rescue teams and two lifeboats are
currently searching the Helford River for a missing 36-year-old man after a
member of the public spotted him in the water shouting for help earlier this evening.
The member of the public called Falmouth Coastguard at
6.41pm to report that they had seen a man in the water 200 metres off Grebe
Beach. The man had then disappeared from
view. Falmouth Coastguard requested the
launch of the Falmouth RNLI lifeboats, along with the rescue helicopter from
RNAS Culdrose, to begin a search of the area.
They also sent the Falmouth Coastguard Rescue Team to the scene.
Further investigations yielded that the missing man was
seen to have come from the yacht ‘New Moon’.
Other members of the public on scene reported that they had seen him in
the water swimming after the dinghy belonging to the yacht. The dinghy from the yacht was subsequently
located at the mouth of the Helford.
At 7.30pm Falmouth Coastguard sent two further coastguard
rescue teams, from Porthoustock and Porthleven, to assist in the search. At 9.36pm the helicopter was stood down owing
to low fuel levels.
Falmouth Coastguard Watch Manager Terry Collins said:
“At this stage the coastguard rescue teams and lifeboats
are intending to continue the search until the light fades, at which point they
will have fully saturated the search area.
Currently there has been nothing found.
We will review the situation overnight and make a decision in the
morning as to whether the search will be relaunched.”