Bridport firefighters help rescue two people after plane crash lands in river

The light aircraft was stuck in the water

Author: Maria GreenwoodPublished 3rd Aug 2023

Bridport firefighters have helped rescue two people from a light aircraft that crashed down into a river.

A crew from Dorset were sent to help as part of an operation in Devon on Tuesday lunchtime.

Firefighters from Seaton and Colyton were first on scene of the last known position but had no sighting of the downed plane.

A military helicopter had picked up the mayday call and was hovering above the crash site.

The plane was found in a river near the village of Musbury.

A spokesperson for Bridport Fire Station said:

"Once in attendance crews confirmed that both passengers were out of the aircraft un-injured but unable to exit from the plane due to the river bank.

"Crews managed to get life jackets to the two passengers and made the scene safe whilst also setting up down stream protection.

"An Environmental Protection Unit was requested as a precaution as there was concern over fuel and oil leaking into the river.

"Bridport’s 4x4 appliance was deployed to the opposite side of the river and crews managed to safely extract the two passengers unharmed using a triple extension ladder.

"The two passengers were handed over to the ambulance service to be checked over."

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.