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Four men taken to hospital after sea rescue
FOUR men needed hospital treatment after being rescued from the sea off Sunderland last night.
Sunderland RNLI's D Class Inshore Lifeboat was scrambled shortly after 6.15pm, after emergency calls to the Coastguard reporting four young men in difficulty in the North Sea close to Cliffe Park, Seaburn.
An RAF rescue helicopter, which was on its way to a training exercise, was also diverted to the scene.
Several off-duty RNLI lifeguards reached the scene first, to find the men had been rescued by friends and passers-by. All four were safely on the promenade but in need of urgent medical treatment.
The helicopter landed on the promenade to pick up three of the men, who were flown to Newcastle General Hospital. The other was taken to Sunderland Royal by ambulance.
Lifeboat volunteers were leaving the station at 7.15pm when they were called to an incident at Seaham, where a man was threatening to drive his car over the cliffs.
The Atlantic 85 lifeboat held a position about 400 metres offshore from Seaham Hall car park while police negotiators attempted to talk the man to safety.
After two-and-a-half hours the man agreed to drive away from the cliff edge and all of the emergency services were stood down.
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Weather for Sunderland
Saturday 04 February 2012
Today
Light sleet showers
Temperature: -1 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 1 C to 6 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: West
