Dartmoor Search and Rescue Ashburton volunteers have been out overnight assisting Devon and Cornwall Police with a search for a missing person at Budleigh Salterton alongside the RNLI and HM Coastguard teams from Beer and Exmouth.
The lady was reported missing yesterday evening and following initial Police investigations, the team were called out to assist with the search. We covered areas alongside the River Otter up towards East Budleigh and to the west of the town around the cliffs and gold course with no further clues as to the lady's whereabouts.
A team spokesman stated "The lady has no previous history of going missing and her disappearance is completely out of character. Our volunteers have been stood down for the present pending further Police enquiries If anybody has any information concerning her whereabouts, please call the Police on 101."
Our volunteers were stood down just after 07:00 and returned home to prepare for the working day.
During the morning of the 9th August, walkers along the coastal footpath heard calls for help and reported the calls to the emergency services. Exmouth Coastguard attended the scene and located the missing lady who had slipped from the path and was in bushes below the path. Her location was such that the Marine and Coastguard Agency Rescue 187 helicopter from St Athan was called and she was winched to safety.
The helicopter landed on Budleigh Salterton golf course and handed over to South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust HART team before being transported by road to Hospital. We understand the lady has made a full recovery which is great news.
Dartmoor Search and Rescue Ashburton volunteers, like all Mountain Rescue teams in England and Wales, don't just respond to calls for help in the hills and mountains, they also assist Police with missing person inquiries. Hence our area doesn't just cover Dartmoor National Park, we help Devon and Cornwall Police search for those in need across Devon including urban areas like Exeter and Torquay.