PRESS RELEASE
Lincolnshire Lifeboats Search for Missing Child
Russell Matthews, 5/7/10
Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) lifeboats on the Lincolnshire coast were involved in a major land and sea search yesterday (Sunday) morning following the disappearance of an eight year-old boy with learning difficulties.
Lifeboats from the charity's stations at Mablethorpe and Skegness joined HM Coastguards and Police to search for the boy who was last seen at a caravan park at Ingoldmells, believed to be heading for the beach and may enter the water.
Mablethorpe RNLI's Atlantic class Inshore Lifeboat (ILB), already out on exercise to the north of the search area, were tasked to the search at 11:20am. Both lifeboats from Skegness were requested to launch by Yarmouth Coastguard at 11:28am.
The three lifeboats performed an extensive search between Winthorpe (south) and Chapel St Leonards (north), while HM Coastguards and Police searched along the beach and further inland.
Coxswain of the Skegness all-weather lifeboat and On-Scene Coordinator for the search, John Irving, said "There was a genuine and real possibility this child was heading for the sea when he was last seen. We had 15 crew members on three lifeboats searching the sea, plus all the Coastguards and Police on land, all hoping for a happy outcome to this shout."
Just before 1pm, the search was stood down when the child was found safe and well on dry land.
The incident was one of many over another busy weekend for the lifeboats and volunteer crews at Skegness.
At 2:09pm on Sunday, while the lifeboats were still being washed down from the earlier search, the ILB was requested to help a swimmer at Ingoldmells. The person managed to make it ashore before the lifeboat arrived.
Later on Sunday afternoon both Skegness lifeboats launched again, following credible reports of an object - possibly a person - approximately one mile offshore, spotted from North Shore golf course.
After searching the area for nearly two hours, with local Coastguards guiding the boats towards several objects including footballs and crab pot markers, the search was stood down by Yarmouth Coastguard.
On Saturday the Skegness ILB launched at 2:30pm following reports of two people on an inflatable blowing offshore at Ingoldmells. They managed to make it ashore before the lifeboat arrived. The crew were then requested to return to Skegness to perform a shoreline search for a missing seven year-old boy, later found safe ashore.
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Three Lincolnshire lifeboats following the search on Sunday morning.
Skegness lifeboat searching off Ingoldmells for the missing child.
Crew on the bow of the Skegness ALB during the search.
Ray and Wiggy with Fantasy Island in the background.
Mablethorpe lifeboat passes behind Skegness ALB during the search.
Mablethorpe lifeboat comes alongside Skegness lifeboat after the search.
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