‘Please help me’ were the words uttered to four RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew from Flint, when they found a missing man at the waters edge of the River Dee, at around 3am on Wednesday morning.
Police and the police helicopter, ambulance, fire service, and the RNLI Flint lifeboat, were all tasked to search for a missing man between Flint lifeboat slipway and Oakenholt.
The search started in the early hours of Wednesday morning with the police helicopter, and Flint RNLI were requested to assist at 2.30am.
The police were talking to the man by mobile phone and he said he was stuck in the mud.
Four of the volunteer crew from Flint lifeboat started a walking search from the lifeboat station up river, whilst the lifeboat was despatched to Connahs Quay to start a search down river.
The walking members of the lifeboat crew located the man at around 3am.
Whilst he had got himself out of the mud, he was cold, wet, and hypothermic, and his first words to the lifeboat crew were ‘please help me.’
An ambulance made its way to the back of Flint Football Club where the man, who had been helped ashore by the lifeboat crew, was handed over and taken to hospital .
The lifeboat and lifeboat crew returned to the lifeboat station at 3.25am and were ready for service at 4.30am.
Alan Forrester, Flint RNLI volunteer Lifeboat Operations Manager, said, ‘it was a cold night, the man wasn’t wearing warm clothing, he had been stuck in the mud for some time, and was in a poor condition. Fortunately their was a positive conclusion and the walking crew found the man before the lifeboat was launched. I can’t praise the volunteer crew enough, in total ten members turned out and this was our second call in twelve hours.’
