Emergency rescue carried out after reports person had fallen into the sea at Roker

Emergency crews at Sunderland were called out to perform an evening rescue, after reports that someone had fallen into the sea from Roker Pier.
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The Wearside Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) team says it received reports of the incident at around 7.40pm on Friday, September 17.

According to the local RNLI branch, crews were returning from two separate incidents that evening at which they had been assisting police.

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They swiftly returned to their station to launch the emergency crew’s D-class inshore lifeboat and were soon at the scene.

Emergency crews were called out after reports that a person had fallen into the sea from Roker Pier.Emergency crews were called out after reports that a person had fallen into the sea from Roker Pier.
Emergency crews were called out after reports that a person had fallen into the sea from Roker Pier.

When leaving the harbour, volunteers were reportedly able to see members of the public pointing to possible locations around the pier waters where the casualty might have been.

The RNLI crew received support from Sunderland Coastguard Rescue Team and Northumbria Police the lifeboat in its search for the fallen walker. With daylight fading the RNLI crew said it decided to deploy a white rocket flare as a means of providing extra light to aid the search.

A cry for help proved crucial in helping the volunteers locate the struggling person – who at this point was around 100 metres from the RNLI lifeboat and 300 metres out from the pier.

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It is thought the person rescued had been in the water for some 20 minutes before the emergency crews arrived.

While on board the lifeboat, the casualty received first aid before being transferred to the North East Ambulance Service once back on land at the marina.

Following the incident, the Sunderland RNLI team said: "We would like to thank the public for calling 999 and raising the alarm with the Coastguard tonight.

"The outcome of this incident could have been a very different one without the quick actions taken.”

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