DRONE SAVED MAN’S LIFE
Police unit’s thermal imager finds missing 86-year-old after huge search:
RESCUERS said they had “little doubt” a police drone unit saved the life of an elderly man found on a hillside after going missing.
A huge search and rescue operation was launched on Thursday evening after 86-year-old Robert Davies vanished from the Morfa Bychan area.
Police were joined by search and rescue teams, dogs and a helicopter as part of the bid to find him.
Luckily, at around 4am on Friday, the missing man was found hidden from view in tall shrubbery on a hillside above the village and was flown to safety by helicopter.
A spokesman for Aberglaslyn Mountain Rescue Team said: “The team were alerted shortly after 10pm last night to search for a high risk missing person in the Morfa Bychan area.
“We deployed alongside North Wales Police officers, a police drone, a police dog, South Snowdonia Search and Rescue Team, two Search and Rescue Dogs Association (SARDA Wales) dogs and Criccieth Coastguard.
“Whilst our search managers planned the search from our base in Porthmadog, team members and an open area search dog cleared areas on foot, and a trailing dog obtained a direction of travel from the home address.
“Shortly after 4am, the police drone located the missing person using thermal imaging, hidden from view in tall gorse and brambles on the hillside above the village.”
They added: “Our team members and SARDA handler Alex and search dog ‘Ben’ made their way to the missing person locating the missing person alive and well.
“Owing to the treacherous terrain, the casualty was then airlifted by a Maritime and Coastguard Agency helicopter.
“There is little doubt that the drone saved the missing person’s life on this occasion, for what was a huge multi-agency operation and a fantastic result for all involved.”
It is not the first time in recent weeks that the recently-established North Wales Police drone unit has helped save the life of a missing elderly person.
Earlier this month, police released footage showing the moment 82-year-old Roy Giblin was located in long grass beside a train line near Abergele.
He had been missing for almost 24 hours and a huge search had been carried out before he was found safe by a drone on the evening of Tuesday, June 8.