Hauled From the Waves

BEACHGOERS joined rescuers to form a human chain to haul a stranded 4×4 out of the sea yesterday.

Moments earlier two people from the Mitsubishi Pajero had scrambled through surf to the safety of shore when the vehicle sank in soft sand.

The 4×4 had been attempting to retrieve a broken-down jet ski when it got into difficulties in a rising tide.

The RNLI Blyth lifeboat Jennie B was called to the aid of the people in the vehicle and was alongside it three minutes later.

Having ensured that no-one was still in danger, the lifeboat crew attached a tow line to the Mitsubishi.

A spokesman for the RNLI team said: “If the vehicle had sunk under water it would have become a hazard to other sea users.

“So having ensured that no lives were in danger, the next priority was to remove the potential hazard.”

Around 20 people on the beach joined the owner and members of the Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade to slowly haul the waterlogged vehicle up the beach, above high water mark.

They were joined by a local farmer who used a fork-lift truck to haul the vehicle to a nearby car park.

(c) 2007 Evening Chronicle – Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.