Five people whose boat got stuck in mud on the River Exe had to be rescued by Exmouth Lifeboat and a specialist team from the fire service.
The RNLI was called out by HM Coastguard on Monday afternoon (September 18) after a five-metre rigid inflatable boat became stuck in the river just south of Turf Locks.
The inshore lifeboat attended and, after assessing the situation, the crew asked the all-weather lifeboat crew to transport a team from Devon & Somerset Fire and Rescue to help.
In a lengthy, difficult and complex multi-agency operation, all five casualties were recovered safely and HM Coastguard stood down the RNLI lifesaving crews at 6.25pm. No one was injured or required medical treatment.
Then at 7.35pm the crew of the Exmouth RNLI inshore lifeboat received reports of a paddleboarder in distress at the entrance to Exmouth Marina. They rushed to the scene and were assisted by an HM Coastguard Rescue Team. It turned out that the paddleboarder had got out of difficulty themselves and did not need any help, so they were stood down from the incident.
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