Lifeboat crew assist two people lost in fog

Larne RNLI crew launched their inshore lifeboat on Monday afternoon following reports of an 18ft motor vessel with two people onboard lost in foggy conditions near the Maidens lighthouse.

The inshore lifeboat launched at 11.40am and with assistance from Larne Port Control, made its way to a vessel in the area of the Maidens.

However, when the crew arrived on the scene, it became clear this was not the vessel requiring assistance.

They continued the search in difficult foggy conditions.

The Red Bay RNLI all-weather lifeboat was launched at 12.25pm to assist in the search.

At 1pm, Larne inshore lifeboat located the 18ft motor vessel 1Nm west of the Maidens.

On arrival, crew members assessed the two people on-board to ensure they were safe and well. Both casualties were in good spirits and had life jackets on. The lifeboat crew then guided the casualty vessel back into the safety of Larne harbour.

Larne RNLI Helm Dave Somerville said: ‘We knew before launching that this was going to be a challenging shout for the crew.

“Visibility was less than 300m and the casualty vessel location was over five miles out.”

Using the navigation equipment we have on board, with assistance from Larne Port Control and Belfast Coastguard, we located the casualty in the fog and assisted them back to port.’