Three brothers rescued from North Sea flood while searching for amber
Sea rescuers have saved three young amber seekers from the North Sea flood, saving their lives.
The brothers, aged between 16 and 19 from Hesse, had walked around four kilometers along the breakwater off Cuxhaven on Saturday evening in search of amber, according to the German Maritime Search and Rescue Service (DGzRS). However, the tide had risen much higher than usual due to the stormy conditions of the past few days and was already up to the young men's waists just one hour after low tide.
The amber seekers had dialed the emergency number, whereupon the rescue cruiser "Anneliese Kramer" set sail shortly after 7 p.m., as the DGzRS also reported. The casualties then alerted the crew to their position with light signals and the rescuers also used a thermal imaging camera.
Brothers held on to each other
After just under three quarters of an hour, the three brothers were rescued from their predicament by the flatter daughter boat "Mathias" - by then the water was already up to their stomachs, according to a spokesperson. They had held and warmed each other until they were rescued; and they had been equipped quite professionally, with thermal wetsuits and powerful LED lamps. The hypothermic young men were taken to hospital by ambulance as a precaution.
On Sunday, the brothers thanked their rescuers on board, according to a DGzRS spokesperson. The three had already left the hospital.
The causeway in Cuxhaven, on which the amber seekers were traveling, runs in an arc from the beach for 10.4 kilometers along the Elbe towards the island of Neuwerk. The causeway causes a deepening of the fairway by changing the current and separates the Elbe fairway from the Duhner Watt.
During the rescue operation, the brothers expressed their gratitude to the DGzRS for their timely intervention during an emergency at sea. Despite the challenging shipping conditions due to the storm, DGzRS continued to monitor the North Sea for potential distress signals.
Source: www.dpa.com
