East Cornwall Rescue Volunteers Called to Looe Twice in One Night

Most people in Looe were asleep when the phone rang for the second time.

East Cornwall Search and Rescue Team had two high-risk missing person searches to deal with on Wednesday 24th, both in the Looe area, with only a few hours between them.

The first callout, early evening

Devon and Cornwall Police contacted the team in the early evening to help find a high-risk missing person near Looe. After some initial planning, foot teams were sent out, backed up by a search dog from Mountain Rescue Search Dogs England.

The missing person returned home safely. One of the team’s Remote Rescue Medical Technicians checked them over, and an ambulance was requested for further treatment. The team was then stood down and headed home.

A second call just after 2am

In the early hours, Police were back on the phone. This time it was a second high-risk missing person, unrelated to the first. As members arrived at the RV, search areas were drawn up and teams went out again.

They searched for hours, through the night and into sunrise. With daylight coming, the team called in help from Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team in Plymouth and Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team in Tavistock to keep the operation running during the day. As new information came in, the search moved to fresh areas of Looe.

Just after lunchtime, the missing person was found safe and well and left in the care of Devon and Cornwall Police.

The team thanked everyone involved across both callouts, including the volunteers who turn out at any hour, in any conditions.

In an emergency, dial 999 and ask Devon and Cornwall Police for Mountain Rescue.

How East Cornwall SRT works, and how to help

East Cornwall SRT is a local charity providing an inland search and rescue service for lost, missing and injured people across East Cornwall, and further afield when needed. It is 100% voluntary and relies on public support to keep going.

You can help by shopping through easyfundraising.org.uk/eastcornwallsrt, which sends the team free donations from online shops. You can also donate or set up a fundraising event at Givey.com/eastcornwallsrt.