Seal Causes Major Incident Response Near Kew Bridge
RNLI, police and helicopter called after it was mistaken for body in water
A Marine Police boat with the Chiswick Lifeboat near Strand on the Green during the search. Picture: RNLI/David Clarke
April 8, 2024
Crowds gathered on Kew Bridge this Saturday afternoon (6 April) to see what appeared to be a major ongoing incident.
The Chiswick RNLI Lifeboat had been launched along with a Marine Police boat and a police helicopter to search the stretch of the Thames between the Bridge and Strand on the Green after reports had been received of a person in the water.
A thorough search was carried out with the responders looking into every likely spot along the foreshore and around moorings.
It was eventually discovered that what initially had appeared to be a person in the water turned out to be a seal.
Chiswick RNLI station manager, Wayne Bellamy, commented, ‘It might appear over the top for these resources to be committed to an exhaustive search when the outcome turned out to be a seal, but the report of a person in the water was made with good intent and we would much rather follow up such reports that miss the opportunity to help someone in distress.
‘In a search for a person in the Thames with its fast flowing tidal flows and many obstructions every minute counts.’
A helicopter joins the search. Picture: RNLI/David Clarke
Chiswick RNLI lifeboat station is the second busiest in the UK and Ireland. Since The RNLI search and rescue service on the Thames started in 2002, Chiswick Lifeboat has attended over 4,000 incidents and rescued over 1,750 people. The RNLI is entirely funded by public donations
This year, the RNLI celebrates its 200th birthday and during that time has saved more than 146,000 lives. RNLI lifeboats have been operating on the River Thames since 2002 and during that time have launched 18,544 times, aided 6,184 people and saved 680 lives.
For further information about the RNLI’s 200th anniversary, visit RNLI.org/200.
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