Missing man, 55, found by police helicopter in Woolacombe

A 55-year-old man who was reported missing from a holiday camp in Woolacombe was found and rescued by the police helicopter.

The force helicopter was operating in the North Devon area on Tuesday, October 30, when the crew overheard reports of a missing man in the Woolacombe area.

Concerns were high for the man who had left the holiday camp he was staying in approximately one hour before he was reported missing at around 3.30pm.

Numerous local officers began searches of the town and surrounding area and the helicopter began a search of the open ground and coastline using a range of equipment including thermal imaging, high resolution HD camera and stabilised binoculars.

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Following 20 minutes of searching, the crew located the man in woodland using the thermal camera.

The woods were thick and the crew found it difficult to give clear direction to ground units as to how best to get to the man.

The officers in the aircraft teamed up with a dog unit and, whilst maintaining a view of the man, the dog unit was able to navigate through the dense woodland and make contact.

The man was found to be safe and was left in the care of paramedics from South Western Ambulance Service.