Emergency services / Aith lifeboat rescues injured person from fog-bound Vaila
THE AITH lifeboat stepped in to help an injured person off the island of Vaila at the weekend as the coastguard helicopter would not have been able to land there due to fog.
The incident happened on Saturday night, when a 74-year-old suffered a suspected hip injury.
The call for assistance came to the RNLI at around 10pm, with the Aith lifeboat arriving at the island in poor visibility at around 11.30pm.
Four members of the crew with RNLI casualty care training were put ashore to help transfer the patient to the island’s pier, and from there onto the boat.
The casualty was handed over to the waiting ambulance in Walls at 1.10am, and the lifeboat then made its way back to Aith – returning to its station by 2.45am.
Aith lifeboat coxswain John Robertson said: “We were pleased to be able to help in this situation where, due to weather conditions, the island was not accessible by any other means.
“Lifeboat volunteers proved their worth and did a professional job through the night in caring for the casualty, and evacuating them as swiftly and as safely as possible into the care of ambulance colleagues.”
The dense fog continued through to Monday, with flights cancelled at Sumburgh Airport. However, services have started to resume at the airport this morning (Tuesday).
Meanwhile the island of Vaila, located off Shetland’s west mainland, was put up for sale in 2022 with an asking price of at least £1.75 million and changed hands last year.
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