Woman rescued by passing dredger
A woman who was found clinging to the north wall, in the
harbour near Berwick Pier this morning has been rescued by the crew of a
dredger.
The crew of the dredger, Gypsey Race, noticed the woman
clinging to the wall at 8.30 this morning and made an immediate call to the
Coastguard whilst going to her aid. The Coastguard requested the Berwick RNLI
inshore and all weather lifeboats to launch and the Berwick Coastguard Rescue
Team to attend.
By the time that the lifeboats and coastguard team
arrived on scene, the crew of the dredger had managed to rescue the woman from
her predicament. The inshore lifeboat took the woman from the deck of the
dredger and brought her to shore. She had been in the water for an hour and a
half and was attended to by paramedics.
Unfortunately, whilst the crew of the dredger were
undertaking their lifesaving activities, the Gypsey Race grounded on sand and
rocks. The vessel is now stuck by the pier, awaiting the next high tide, when
efforts will be made to assist her in re-floating.
Jolene Smith, HM Coastguard said:
“The woman fell from Berwick Pier this morning when she
was out for an early morning stroll, hoping to catch some photos of dolphins.
She was in the water for about an hour and a half before the crew of the Gypsey
Race noticed her in the water, clinging to the harbour wall and came to her
aid. She was in a dire situation and the crew undoubtedly saved her life.
“Unfortunately for the crew of the Gypsey Race, in the act
of rescuing the woman, they became an incident themselves and are now stuck on
a sandbank waiting for the depth of water to increase so that they can re-float
their vessel.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to remind people to
take care near the water or by cliffs when taking photos. It’s very easy to get
wrapped up in taking the perfect photo, forgetting that you are in a hazardous
environment. As the summer comes to an end and opportunities arise to take more
photos of spectacular weather conditions, please do be mindful of your own
safety and don’t take unnecessary risks.”