A helicopter assisted lifeboat crews in searching the Kent coast following a distress signal. The search was called off when the beacon was found.
Lifeboat crews looked along the coast. This happened between Broadstairs and Deal. Someone reported a locator beacon went off.
The helicopter looked between Deal and Broadstairs too. They first searched a large, 50-mile area. Later, they narrowed the search to five miles. They got the call before 10 PM.
The RNLI searched the shore near Deal. They went up to North Foreland and back. They found the locator ashore, and stopped the search.
A personal locator sends distress signals. It alerts search and rescue when someone activates it.
The night was very dark, said a charity spokesperson. They used radar and searchlights to search the calm sea. They also used a direction finder. The coastguard sent a helicopter to help. They weren’t sure where the beacon was activated.
The helicopter found the beacon at 12:30 AM.
The RNLI crew was happy to go home. It had been a long day for them. They had training earlier that day. They finished training at 8 PM.
People use locators at sea and ashore. They work alone or with a phone. Locators help when cell service is unavailable.