BUDE Coastguard Rescue Team were paged at 4.38pm on Saturday, October 26 and tasked to Rusey Cliffs near Boscastle by the Coastguard Operations Centre in Falmouth, to join Boscastle Coastguard Team and Devon and Cornwall Police in the ongoing search for a missing male.

Upon arrival, two search teams were quickly organised, with one searching from Strangles to Crackington Haven, and the other searching from St Genny’s Church back to Crackington.

Both teams completed their search with nothing found.

As night fell, and with the duty senior coastal operations officer now on scene, the Bude team were re-tasked south of the Boscastle and police search teams, to search from the Bossiney area. As radio communications were poor, the Bude team also provided relay for the other teams searching along the cliff paths.

Word was received that Boscastle search team one had located the casualty, who had made his position known by flashing a light, in a precarious position half way down Chipman cliffs.

With a rope rescue deemed unachievable, the decision was made to scramble Rescue 924, the coastguard rescue helicopter. After arriving on scene and surveying the situation, Rescue 924 performed a successful winch operation, bringing on board the casualty as well as the search team.

The Bude team set up a helicopter landing site, where Rescue 924 safely set down, and the casualty was transferred to a waiting land ambulance, which took him onward to hospital.

The Boscastle team has reported that the casualty sustained ‘minor injuries and the main concern at the tim was for hypothermia’.

Following a debrief, the team returned to the station and finished at approximately 10pm. The Bude team said: “We wish the casualty a speedy recovery.”