A man was plucked from the Bristol Channel after coastguard and RNLI crews were called to reports of someone in the water
Police and the fire service were called to the incident, along with the coastguard rescue helicopter, around 11:20am on Monday (Nov 18).
A coastguard spokesman said: "On arrival police had a visual of the casualty in the water but soon after lost sight.
“A search began and several targets were identified which the helicopters were tasked to investigate.
"Soon after Portishead RNLI arrived in the area and was able to locate the casualty and remove them conscious and breathing from the freezing water.”
When Portishead RNLI arrived on the scene, crew were directed to the last reported sighting of the casualty with the help of local fishermen.
They located the man who was, by then, struggling to keep afloat in the water.
One of the crew then jumped into the water and grabbed the man, pulling him onto the boat.
A spokesman for Portishead RNLI said: “The crew were quick to spot the casualty who was now struggling to keep afloat in the very cold water.
“With literally seconds to spare one crew member entered the water to grab the casualty before they went under for the last time.
“The RNLI crew were then able to bring the casualty on board the Lifeboat where they were checked thoroughly for any injuries and administer lifesaving first aid.
"Being very cold the volunteers wrapped up the casualty to try and start to warm them up.”
The man was then airlifted to hospital by the coastguard helicopter for further treatment.
The spokesman added: “This shows that the endless hours of training pays off.
"Also big thanks to the fishing vessel who was also nearby helping to locate the person.”
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