Woman 'in water near hovercraft port' taken to hospital in life-threatening condition
24 April 2021, 22:48
A woman has been rushed to hospital in a life-threatening condition after being rescued from the sea near a hovercraft port.
An incident took place near the Hovertravel slipway at Clarence Pier in Southsea, Hampshire, at about 5.30pm on Saturday, the Coastguard said.
Hovertravel ferries passengers to and from the Isle of Wight. A spokesman said: "We can confirm that Solent Flyer was not involved with the incident involving a body in the water but the crew were alerted.
"As Solent Flyer landed at Southsea this afternoon, the ground team alerted the pilot about a body in the water, as per Hovertravel's normal safety procedure.
"The pilot landed safely and the service is operating as normal.
"The person has subsequently been recovered by the emergency services and the police are dealing with the matter."
The woman in her 40s was taken from the water by the Gosport and Fareham Inshore Rescue Service (Gafirs) and taken to hospital by ambulance.
A Coastguard spokeswoman said: "HM Coastguard received multiple 999 calls about an incident near the hovercraft slipway in Southsea, Portsmouth.
"Portsmouth coastguard rescue team, Gosport independent lifeboat and the search and rescue helicopter from Lee-on-Solent were sent, in addition to MoD Police vessels from Portsmouth Harbour and the South Central Ambulance Service.
"A woman was pulled from the water and passed into the care of the ambulance service.
"The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) and Hampshire Constabulary have been informed."
A South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) spokesman said: "The incident in Old Portsmouth earlier was in relation to a woman in her 40s who was found unresponsive in the water by the Coastguard and recovered to Camber Dock lifeboat jetty where they were met by our team comprising two ambulance crews, a paramedic team leader and an emergency doctor.
"After initial treatment the patient was then taken to the Queen Alexandra Hospital where she was handed over to colleagues in the emergency department in a life-threatening condition."
