27 June 2026 , 17:21
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A rescue mission was launched after an aircraft crash-landed in the sea just off a UK coastline.
Two people were rescued after a small aircraft was forced to land a short distance from the Welsh coastline on Friday evening. The incident happened near Cardigan Island, an uninhabited nature reserve off the coast of Gwbert, in south Wales, a short distance from the Cliff Hotel and Spa.
A microlight - a lightweight, fixed-wing, or weight-shift aircraft - ditched into Cardigan Bay after it got into difficulty at around 6pm last night, according to coastguards. Rescuers later found two people onboard the aircraft at sea, sitting on the wing of the plane.
Two passengers were taken to shore in a lifeboat and handed over to the Welsh Ambulance Service who had been called to the scene along with RNLI crews from New Quay and Cardigan and a coastguard rescue helicopter, according to WalesOnline.
The coastguard has not shared details yet of any potential injuries sustained by the two people onboard but it is thought they were not seriously injured in the incident.
A spokesman for the coastguard said: "We received a report at around 6pm on Friday of a microlight, with two people on board, that had ditched into the water approximately nine nautical miles north west of Cardigan Island, Pembrokeshire.
"A coastguard rescue helicopter, RNLI lifeboats from Fishguard, New Quay, and Cardigan, and the ambulance service were all sent. The two people were located sitting on the wing of the microlight.
"They were recovered by a lifeboat and taken to shore where they were passed into the care of the ambulance service."
This comes after a pilot died following a light aircraft crash near Dunkeswell Airfield in Devon on Friday morning.
Emergency services, including police, firefighters, ambulance crews and an air ambulance, rushed to the scene after the incident was reported at around 10am yesterday.
The pilot, believed to be a woman in her 40s, was pronounced dead at the scene, Devon and Cornwall Police said.
Police added the force would continue work with the Air Accidents Investigation Branch and have urged the public not to speculate about the circumstances of the crash.
Superintendent Jo Arundale said: "We recognise it is a very sad incident and we are appealing to the public not to speculate regarding the crash. Furthermore, we would like to ask anybody who may have relevant footage to get in touch with us and not to post it online. Our thoughts are with the friends and family of the person involved."
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