Four people rescued from sea after yacht ran aground near Norfolk

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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.

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.

When the lifeboat reached the yacht the crew found the life raft empty, which prompted an emergency search of the sea where all four yachters were found.

Richard Thurlow, joint coxswain of Caister Lifeboat, said: "We have all witnessed one of the most dramatic rescues we have seen in many years."

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.

RNLI Gorleston transferred the three men and a woman 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.

"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."

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.

"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.

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