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| Four people rescued from sea after yacht ran aground near Norfolk | Four people rescued from sea after yacht ran aground near Norfolk |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| Caister Lifeboat were called off shore to reports of yacht that had ran aground at about 17:00 BST on Wednesday | Caister Lifeboat were called off shore to reports of yacht that had ran aground at about 17:00 BST on Wednesday |
| Four people have been rescued after their yacht ran aground in one of the most "dramatic" incidents a lifeboat service said it had ever seen. | Four people have been rescued after their yacht ran aground in one of the most "dramatic" incidents a lifeboat service said it had ever seen. |
| Caister Lifeboat said it was called to reports of people abandoning a yacht on a sand bank and boarding their life raft five miles off the coast of Scroby Sands, Norfolk, at about 17:00 BST on Wednesday. | Caister Lifeboat said it was called to reports of people abandoning a yacht on a sand bank and boarding their life raft five miles off the coast of Scroby Sands, Norfolk, at about 17:00 BST on Wednesday. |
| Florian Pruckner, 29, from Austria, Simon Bruhn, 28, from Denmark, Halfdan Steenholdt, 24, from Denmark and Nora Vogt, 20, from Germany were later pulled from the sea by the lifeboat. | |
| Richard Thurlow, joint coxswain of Caister Lifeboat, said: "We have all witnessed one of the most dramatic rescues we have seen in many years." | Richard Thurlow, joint coxswain of Caister Lifeboat, said: "We have all witnessed one of the most dramatic rescues we have seen in many years." |
| Mr Pruckner, the yacht's skipper, said the experience was "very frightening". | |
| "It could have all gone very wrong very quickly and it did to some degree. | |
| "I am just grateful that we all came off it without any major injuries," he added. | |
| Florian Pruckner, Simon Bruhn, Nora Vogt and Halfdan Steenholdt were onboard the vessel | |
| When the lifeboat reached the Argo Navis vessel the crew found the yacht's life raft empty, which prompted an emergency search of the sea for the group on board. | |
| They group were travelling from Odense, Denmark, to Cape Verde before planning to cross the Atlantic to the Caribbean islands. | |
| Ms Vogt said "it felt like an eternity" seeing the lifeboats approaching, adding that they were "very uncertain" on what to do. | |
| All four members of the crew said they would return to sailing at some point. | |
| Crews said the four people did not board their life raft after it had gone adrift | Crews said the four people did not board their life raft after it had gone adrift |
| The Caister Inshore Lifeboat and the Medina Class All Weather vessel were launched alongside Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) Gorleston and a HM Coastguard Helicopter from Lydd, Kent. | The Caister Inshore Lifeboat and the Medina Class All Weather vessel were launched alongside Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) Gorleston and a HM Coastguard Helicopter from Lydd, Kent. |
| RNLI Gorleston transferred the group to the Caister All Weather vessel where they received a medical assessment at the shore. | |
| Mr Thurlow said: "The four people on board were in extreme danger and we were fearing the worst. | Mr Thurlow said: "The four people on board were in extreme danger and we were fearing the worst. |
| "Attempts to make contact with the yacht to establish how many casualties were on board, if any, was extremely difficult," he added. | "Attempts to make contact with the yacht to establish how many casualties were on board, if any, was extremely difficult," he added. |
| "Thankfully the crew made the sensible choice to stay with the vessel, as this undoubtedly saved their lives." | "Thankfully the crew made the sensible choice to stay with the vessel, as this undoubtedly saved their lives." |
| John McLennan and Ben Penning from RNLI Gorleston were involved in the rescue mission | John McLennan and Ben Penning from RNLI Gorleston were involved in the rescue mission |
| Ben Penning, a crew member with RNLI Gorleston, said: "Trying to get close [to the crew] was very difficult due to very confused seas. | Ben Penning, a crew member with RNLI Gorleston, said: "Trying to get close [to the crew] was very difficult due to very confused seas. |
| "We actually hit the bottom at one point and realise we could not get close enough to extract them from the vessel," he added. | "We actually hit the bottom at one point and realise we could not get close enough to extract them from the vessel," he added. |
| Mr Penning said "within a few seconds of [the yacht] sinking" they were able to grab hold of the people and pull them on the lifeboat. | Mr Penning said "within a few seconds of [the yacht] sinking" they were able to grab hold of the people and pull them on the lifeboat. |
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