Two People Rescued After Caving Incident at Polberro Cove

Two cavers were rescued on the evening of Saturday 2nd August following a serious incident near Polberro Cove, prompting a multi-agency emergency response involving lifeboat crews, coastguard teams, a helicopter and ambulance services.

Casualties Found as Tide Rose

St Agnes RNLI launched their D-class lifeboat just ten minutes after being paged at 7:10pm, responding to reports of six people in difficulty in the area. On arrival, volunteer crew members located two casualties. One had sustained serious injuries, while the second had a more minor injury.

With rising tides and the Coastguard Rescue helicopter from Newquay unable to land, the first casualty was extracted by lifeboat and taken to Trevaunance Cove. St Agnes RNLI volunteers, drawing on their extensive casualty care training, supported the injured person while waiting for ambulance services.

Lifeboat Operations Manager Doug Stein said, “Our volunteers were able to give the casualty the best possible care in the circumstances. We would like to thank St Agnes Surf Lifesaving Club for their support as well. This was a lifesaving community pulling together.”

Support from Air, Land and Sea

Once the first casualty was safely transferred to hospital by ambulance, the lifeboat returned to extract the second casualty from the scene. The remaining four individuals were reported to be above the location of the incident, and the St Agnes RNLI crew stayed on the water to support the Coastguard Cliff Rescue team as they worked to assist those still on land.

Peter Banner, St Agnes RNLI Launch Authority, praised the calm response of the team: “It was impressive to see our volunteers work in such a calm and professional manner under such pressure. This is where we see hours and hours of training pay off.”

Warning About Parking Access

Doug also raised a safety concern about public parking on Quay Road during summer months, stating, “We would like to remind the public that parking is restricted on Quay Road during the summer months. We understand that it is tempting to park on the single yellow lines but please remember that what might save you a little walk could prevent our crew and the ambulance service from saving someone’s life.”

Back on Station Within Hours

The St Agnes RNLI lifeboat returned to station at 9:50pm, accompanied by the all-weather lifeboat from St Ives RNLI. By the following morning, volunteer crew members were back on station again for a scheduled training exercise.

📷Coastguard Rescue Helicopter over St Agnes Beach - Credit: RNLI/V. Davis