A multi-agency rescue costing thousand was sparked to rescue a 74 year old woman who became trapped in mud and cut off by the outgoing tide in Kent this evening
Twenty Coastguards, a Kent fire and rescue service mud team and a Coastguard rescue helicopter from Lydd, were called to help a woman stuck in mud 400 feet out to sea. The woman had been cut by the outgoing tide and stuck in the mud near the Strand Open-air leisure pool in Gillingham in Kent on Friday evening.
Kent coastguards were called just after 8pm on Friday, along with the fire service and ambulance.
The lady was up to her thighs in mud, her partner was a short distance away on firmer ground.
The first choice rescue method was for the helicopter to land at pick up two mud technicians and mud gear and try to transfer them to the casualty’s location. But with fading light and the distance the woman was teams didn’t think they could recover her them successfully.
On the arrival of the helicopter, it flew over the scene and dropped off his winchman at the scene who then pulled the woman from the mud using the winch on board the helicopter.
Once the casualty was freed from the mud and loaded onto the helicopter the woman was then flown to the helicopter landing site at the Riverside Country Park in Gillingham
Thankfully, the coastguard plan worked, had it not worked, it would have taken most of the night to get her out using rope access techniques due to her location.
Twenty coastguard rescue officers took part in the rescue falong with the fire service Kent Police and a paramedic from South East Coast ambulance.
The woman was checked over and collected by her husband shortly after 9 pm on dry land.
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