Eastbourne Lifeboats Recover Two Bodies After Cliff Crashes and Search Drama
Eastbourne’s lifeboat crews faced a gruelling day of multi-agency rescue efforts on Thursday, May 3rd. Volunteer teams were first scrambled early morning to search the notorious Beachy Head cliffs for a missing distressed woman but found no trace.
Car Plunges Off Beachy Head Cliffs
Just hours later, at 11.30am, the drama escalated. Reports came in that a car had driven off the cliffs at Beachy Head. Both the inshore lifeboat (ILB) and Eastbourne’s all-weather lifeboat (ALB) were deployed to the scene. A submerged wreck was located, but rescuers couldn’t confirm if the driver remained trapped inside.
Emergency crews scoured the area, but low tide was needed to continue a thorough search. Reluctantly, both boats were stood down, returning to base.
Tragic Recovery at Birling Gap
The day took a darker turn shortly after when the ILB crew were urgently called to recover the body of a woman washed ashore at Birling Gap. Then at 3.10pm, both lifeboats relaunched to assist with the cliff car incident.
Fire and rescue teams were ferried to the wreck from Birling Gap, finally cutting a male occupant free from the submerged vehicle. The injured man was brought back to the lifeboat station and handed over to the coroner after a 12-hour ordeal.
RNLI Praise Lifeboat Heroes
RNLI spokesman Bob Jeffery paid tribute to the volunteer crews, saying, “Most people do not witness the horrific scenes that these young men dealt with today in a lifetime. They are a credit to the station and the RNLI for the manner in which they conducted themselves and the way the casualties were handled with utmost respect and dignity.”
