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Three rescued on 'intense' night for lifeboat crew

Emma Petrie
BBC News
Humber Rescue The Humber rescue team attend a casualty, who cannot be seen, on the the edge of the estuary. The team wear helmets and hi-vis suits with "Humber Rescue" written on them. The scene is illuminated at night, revealing a muddy shore and dark water. Humber Rescue
The crew said it had been an "intense and emotionally demanding" evening

A lifeboat crew helped save a life and rescued two more people during an "intense" 10-hour period on the Humber estuary, managers have said.

Humber Rescue, which is based in Hessle, near Hull, said it responded to a number of serious callouts on Friday. In one incident, a person was pulled from the water.

Two other people, including an elderly man, were rescued from a vessel stuck on mud near Brough.

Paul Berriff, the founder of Humber Rescue, said: "To save the life of another is one of the highest honours a person can carry."

A lifeboat was launched shortly after 18:00 BST after a report of two vessels coming aground near Brough, a spokesperson for Humber Rescue said.

However, while en-route, the boat was redirected to another emergency nearby.

A person was pulled from the water on to the boat and given immediate care. The casualty was then taken to hospital by ambulance for further treatment.

Humber Rescue Fourteen of the team stand in a circle in back at the station. The are still wearing their waterproofs and one of the life boats can be seen through a large opening in the station wall.Humber Rescue
The crew of volunteers gather back at their station after the rescues

The crew returned to the grounded vessels near Brough, but were called to reports of another person in the water near the lifeboat station, the spokesperson said.

This turned out to be a false alarm and, after refuelling, the crew launched again to help two stranded people on one of the grounded vessels.

A rescue helicopter was deployed to assist by illuminating the scene and the lifeboat crew carried out a successful mud rescue with the support of coastguard teams from Cleethorpes, Hornsea and Hull.

The two people were taken to shore, where they were checked over and found to be well and in good spirits.

Humber Rescue A long blue inflatable raft is lying in the foreground covered in mud with "Humber Rescue" on it. In the background a tractor is pulling another Humber Rescue craft along the riverside. The scene is illuminated and another rescue vehicle has its lights on.Humber Rescue
The crew said a joint decision was taken to attempt a mud rescue

A sailor on the other vessel chose to remain on board to float off on the rising tide.

Humber Rescue is an independent lifeboat charity, which provides rapid search and rescue operations across the Humber estuary. Last year, volunteers attended more than 130 call-outs, according to the service.

Mr Berriff said: "The last 10 hours have shown, once again, why Humber Rescue exists and why it must continue.

"I'm extremely proud of every crew member involved for their courage, calm, and relentless commitment to those in need."

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