Battered by Waves, British Coastguard Completes Daring Sea Rescue
A British rescue worker was battered by waves but still completed a daring sea rescue after three people got into difficulty on the west coast of England, a video released by British coastguard service on Tuesday showed.
Footage shot from a helicopter showed a man clinging to a rock in the sea near Bude, 200 miles (321.87 km) southwest of London, after he became cut off by a rising tide on Saturday evening.
Mark Hughes, a winchman for the coastguard who is known as "Spike", was lowered from the helicopter to save him when he was caught blindsided by a wave.
Hughes reached the man and was attaching him to the wire when both were washed into the sea by a second wave. They were winched quickly out of the surf, while two other people were also rescued from a nearby beach.
"This video clearly shows what can happen when people are cut off by the tide but also the sterling job Spike the winchman did in the harsh conditions and rapidly changing situation to successfully rescue the casualties," said Captain Graham Finn.
Two of those rescued were taken to a nearby hospital and were treated for mild hypothermia.
(Reporting by Alistair Smout)