Man with just ‘chest, head and one arm’ poking out from quicksand rescued by emergency crews
A man who became stranded in quicksand as the tide came in quickly was rescued in what was described as a “surreal close call”.
Gulf Search and Rescue, based in the Morecambe Bay area, were called to an incident in Silverdale at 11.30am on Saturday after a man became stranded in bog.
The team said that at first glance, only the man’s “chest, head, one arm and part of a leg” were still visible as “a large wave was rapidly moving towards the Gulf.”
“Very quickly we came across the casualty lying on his back in a soft gutter; at first glance only his chest, head, one arm and part of one leg were still visible, but thankfully he was not too deep as he was lying correctly, he was completely exhausted and quite hypothermic,” the team said.
To reach her, the crew inflated two Rescue Airways, placing one behind her to prevent her from sinking further and the other in front of her to carefully rescue her.
Within minutes the man was safely pulled from the swamp and brought to the trail.
Because he was “extremely cold and showing signs of hypothermia,” he was transferred to the team’s all-terrain vehicle to warm up and was wrapped in foil blankets after being assessed by a paramedic.
“As we left the scene, the tide was already filling the channel, a surreal reminder of how close this call was,” the crew said.
The man was taken to a local cafe and handed over to the North West Ambulance Service for further assessment.
The crew said the incident was “a true display of teamwork”.
The team said: “This rescue was a real demonstration of teamwork between agencies, a reminder of the co-ordination, skill and commitment that keeps our coastline safe. A huge thank you to everyone involved.”
Rescue team at the beginning of this year said The BBC found more bog patches this year than they had seen in 30 years. Quicksand is formed when sand becomes waterlogged, which can occur in tidal estuaries.
