A person found "barely conscious" was rescued from the River Conwy on Tuesday evening after a member of the public heard shouts for help and raised the alarm. RNLI volunteers were called to the river following the passerby's report.
A crew was deployed within minutes, working alongside land-based rescue teams to locate and recover the casualty, according to North Wales Live.
Immediate launch and rapid response
A Conwy Lifeboat spokesperson said: "At 23:42 last night (Tuesday 4 August), our RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew were paged for an immediate launch following reports from a member of the public that someone was in difficulty in the River Conwy and calling for help."
The statement continued: "A crew of four was quickly assembled while our shore crew prepared the lifeboat for launch. The boat launched at 23:54 and made best speed to the reported location, guided by our colleagues from Llandudno Coastguard Rescue Team, who used torches to help direct the lifeboat to the casualty."
Casualty recovered and treated
On arrival, it was immediately clear that the casualty was unable to assist themselves. The casualty was recovered safely onto the lifeboat, where they were found to be barely conscious.
Following a casualty assessment, oxygen was administered before the casualty was returned to the station and transferred into the care of the Welsh Ambulance Service. From the 999 call to the casualty being safely aboard the lifeboat took just 19 minutes.
Multi-agency teamwork praised
The spokesperson described it as "an outstanding multi agency response" that "demonstrates the value of rapid teamwork in a life threatening situation." Once the casualty was en route to hospital, the lifeboat and equipment were cleaned, refuelled and made ready for service before a thorough debrief.
The RNLI thanked the volunteer boat crew, shore crew, Llandudno Coastguard Rescue Team, HM Coastguard, the Welsh Ambulance Service, and North Wales Police for their joint effort. They also thanked the member of the public who raised the alarm, saying: "Calling 999 and asking for the Coastguard without delay can make all the difference."
