Girl winched to safety as HM Coastguard co-ordinates rescue at Morecambe Bay


A twelve year old girl has been winched to safety after becoming stuck in mud at Hest Bank, Morecambe Bay.

Two girls were reported missing to the UK Coastguard at 6.30pm yesterday (18th May), one was soon found and brought back to shore, but the second was stuck waist deep.
HM Coastguard search and rescue teams from Morecambe and Knott End, along with the Morecambe RNLI hovercraft were sent, along with the HM Coastguard search and rescue helicopter based at Caernarfon.
A mud extraction was carried out and the girl freed by the RNLI crew together with the Coastguard Rescue Teams.
She was then winched onto the HM Coastguard helicopter and transferred to Lancaster Hospital.
Adam Bradbury, senior coastal operations officer for HM Coastguard said: ‘This incident occurred with only a few hours left of daylight and on an incoming tide which soon made it potentially life-threatening.
‘All those involved did exactly the right thing by calling 999 and asking for the Coastguard, rather than waiting.
‘Our advice is always the same: if you see or suspect someone is in difficulty in the water or along the shoreline call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.’

 Girl winched to safety at Morecombe Bay



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