Kent, South East England – Dozens of school children trapped by the rising tide on a Kent beach were rescued by helicopter and lifeboat after using their mobile phones as distress beacons.
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The group of 34 teenagers, who were with two adults, were plucked from a hazardous stretch of the coast with falling rocks after getting lost on a walk on Monday night, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said.
The hiking party from a London school raised the alarm with Kent Police at around 9pm after becoming disorientated as they followed a coastal path between St Margaret’s Bay and Dover Harbour.
The coastguard launched a search by air and sea involving a helicopter based at Lydd, Dover RNLI lifeboat, two Walmer RNLI lifeboats, Langdon Coastguard Rescue Team.
UK Coastguard Senior Maritime Operations Officer Richard Cockerill said: “The group was advised to switch on their mobile phone lights to help us locate them.
“The group was located by one of the Walmer lifeboats in an area of active cliff falls and also spotted by the helicopter using the forward-looking infra red camera. All 36 people were recovered to safety by lifeboat and helicopter.”
A coastguard spokeswoman said the group were thought to have descended from cliffs onto the beach before becoming trapped by rising waters.
After being spotted using the high-tech night vision camera, 31 of the walkers were rescued by lifeboat before being brought back ashore. The remaining five were lifted to safety by helicopter and flown to the Dover Coastguard station.
An ambulance was sent to the scene, although the group were said to be “safe and well” and all accounted for by 11pm.
Mark Finnis, coxswain of Dover RNLI, said: “The group were caught out by a rising tide. Thankfully the quick and well co-ordinated search and rescue response meant all 36 casualties were rescued and were lucky to escape without serious injuries, but they’ve had a traumatic experience.”
The Port of Dover tweeted that the group’s rescue was a “lesson to us all to be careful around water and check tidal information, particularly at this time of year
I wish the teachers in frum boys’ schools would have to be proficient in reading ordnance survey maps, coastal tides and times and correct equipment and research when climbing. It would also be nice if they raised a few thousand to repay the coastguard and RNLI for their efforts. They could easily do what I do, a monthly direct debit of £3- to the RNLI. I was going to let it lapse now, after three years but I’ll have to rethink that decision now…..
Seems like they have had an experience they will relate to their grandchildren. Wow!
BH they are safe. But why do things like this always seem to happen to hare dim in Catskills, Israel and other places?
The BBC version noted that they passed NINE warning signs. Can they not read? Why couldn’t they turn around and go back? I agree they should make a large donation to the rescue services. And it would be nice if the supposedly responsible adults learned to read maps and planned the outings far enough in advance to walk the route themselves before taking children along.
There should be more organizations like Jewish boy scouts for Haredi. The boy scouts have been proven to save children’s lives throughout the years.
Only two “adults” supervising a group of 34 teenagers??? That alone is cause for concern.
Do non-Smartphones even have a flash?
It’s a good thing someone had a cell phone, or there would be 36 families grieving. When will Chareidi schools & Rabbonim finally accept that having a cell phone is not a shanda? Even a smartphone? I have one AND a laptop AND I am able to stay away from “bad sites.” Time to move into the 21st century, although it is a big leap from the 18th.
one adult to 16 teens is a fair number – amazing rescue & tech