The River Tees, usually a ribbon of tranquility winding through the North East countryside, became a scene of desperate urgency on Saturday afternoon. Reports surfaced of a kayaker in distress, battling the cold, unforgiving current near Barnard Castle.
Emergency services responded swiftly to the call, received at 1:50 PM. The scale of the response immediately signaled the gravity of the situation – two ambulance crews, a clinical team leader, and a duty officer were dispatched.
But the assistance didn’t stop there. Recognizing the challenging terrain and potential hazards, three specialized crews from the Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) joined the effort. They were bolstered by the expertise of a mountain rescue team and the critical care capabilities of the Great North Air Ambulance Service, arriving both by air and road.
Despite the comprehensive and rapid response, the outcome was tragically not what anyone hoped for. After a painstaking search, a woman’s body was recovered from the river.
The recovery site was located in the Lartington area, a picturesque but potentially treacherous stretch of the Tees. The circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation, leaving a community reeling from the sudden loss.
