People rescued at sea after medical emergency near Portland

At half past midnight this morning, the Weymouth RNLI lifeboat crew was launched to assist a large yacht that was in difficulty, where one person had sustained a broken arm. Crews were called to assist the Coastguard after a Pan-Pan had been raised – an international emergency radio signal that lets people know someone is in difficulty. The vessel was near to West Shambles and after it was located, crews guided it back towards Portland Marina. The casualty was put into the care of the ambulance service that was waiting back at shore and the lifeboat returned to its station just before 4pm. A spokesperson for Weymouth Lifeboat said: 'By 3am, the yacht was safely secured alongside the visitor pontoon. The injured sailor was taken to the marina office to await an ambulance, while the lifeboat returned to Weymouth and was ready for service again by 3.45am. 'After several hours at sea, the priority was to get both people safely ashore and the injured sailor into the care of the emergency services. 'We wish the casualty a speedy recovery and thanks to our volunteer lifeboat crew who assisted.'