Cornwall villagers woken by major search-and-rescue op

-Credit: (Image: Google)
-Credit: (Image: Google)


Residents living in Cornish villages near St Austell were woken up in the early hours today as a major search operation was carried out for a missing person. Emergency services, including a helicopter, were scrambled at about 3.30am to look for the missing individual around Foxhole.

People living in Foxhole, and surrounding villages such as Lanjeth and Hornick, reported being woken up by the sound of a helicopter circling. They also reported seeing search-and-rescue vehicles and people on foot, searching by flashlight.

HM Coastguard confirmed that its teams, and a helicopter, had been called to help police search for a missing person. But nobody was found.

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CornwallLive had received messages from members of the public saying they had been disturbed by activity during the hours of darkness. One person told CornwallLive: “Something strange is occurring near Foxhole. Woke me up before 5am. Would appear to be a coastguard search and rescue helicopter.”

Another resident said: “A larger helicopter has just gone over ours.” And another said: “It’s been going over Lanjeth since 4.40am and has been stationary above my house for the last 20 minutes, on School Hill.”

A Foxhole resident said: “I have just seen search and rescue trucks go down the hill and quite a few people with torches on the railway line. Looks like someone is missing.”

A coastguard spokesperson said: “At around 3.30am this morning HM Coastguard assisted Devon and Cornwall Police with reports of a missing person in St Austell, Cornwall. An HM Coastguard Rescue Helicopter was sent to search the scene and nothing was found.”