Man feared swept into sea at Torbay during Storm Austen; RNLI searches find no trace
A man seen on CCTV leaving a Torbay hotel in shorts and a T-shirt is feared to have entered the sea during Storm Austen. A nine-hour overnight search and a daylight search the next day found no trace.
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The story, neutrally told
Mixed · 2A man is feared to have been swept out to sea in Torbay, Devon, during Storm Austen, after CCTV footage showed him leaving a hotel at lunchtime in shorts and a T-shirt. Daily ExpressR “A man is feared to have been swept out to sea during Storm Austen after CCTV footage showed him leaving a hotel in Devon at lunchtime wearing only shorts and a T-shirt.” Read at Daily Express ↗ Daily MirrorL “CCTV footage appeared to show a man leaving a hotel in shorts and a T-shirt at lunchtime on Friday.” Read at Daily Mirror ↗ Left · 1The Mirror reports that he did not return, and that Solent Coastguard tasked Torbay RNLI to search. It describes him as reported to have entered the sea, and says CCTV 'appeared to show' him leaving the hotel. Daily MirrorL “He did not return and Solent Coastguard tasked Torbay RNLI to aid in searching the area.”“A huge nine-hour search operation took place for a man who is reported to have entered the sea in the storm.” Read at Daily Mirror ↗ Right · 1Torbay RNLI lifeboat crews launched at around 6.10pm and, with the coastguard and police, searched the shoreline near Goodrington. A drone was also used. Daily ExpressR “RNLI Torbay were joined by the coastguard and police in searching the area near Goodrington.”“A drone was also involved in the emergency effort.” Read at Daily Express ↗
Mixed · 2Exmouth RNLI launched its Shannon lifeboat at 6.35pm to search the water. The lifeboat station said winds picked up during the operation, with gusts from force five to eight. Daily ExpressR “Exmouth RNLI say it joined the rescue effort and launched its Shannon lifeboat at 6.35pm to search the water.” Read at Daily Express ↗ Daily MirrorL “winds had picked up and ranged from force five to eight, the lifeboat station said” Read at Daily Mirror ↗ Right · 1Torbay RNLI said Storm Austen's sea state and weather severely hampered the ability to spot the casualty, which is why so many search assets were called. Daily ExpressR “severely hampering the ability to spot the casualty in or near the water, and explaining why so many search assets were called upon” Read at Daily Express ↗ Mixed · 2Torbay RNLI's inshore lifeboat did a second shoreline search, then returned to refuel and was stood down at around 9.10pm as conditions worsened. Daily ExpressR “Torbay RNLI’s inshore lifeboat was stood down at around 9.10pm after carrying out a second shoreline search and returning to refuel.” Read at Daily Express ↗ Daily MirrorL “the ILB was stood down around 9.10pm” Read at Daily Mirror ↗
Mixed · 2Searches continued through the night to Hopes Nose, the Mussel Farm and further offshore, ending at around 2am. The all-weather lifeboat returned to station by about 3.10am, having been at sea for more than eight hours. Daily ExpressR “Searches continued through the night to Hopes Nose, the Mussel Farm and further offshore before concluding at around 2am.” Read at Daily Express ↗ Daily MirrorL “the all-weather lifeboat was at sea for more than eight hours during Storm Austen on Friday” Read at Daily Mirror ↗ Mixed · 2At 11:45am the next morning, Solent Coastguard asked for a daylight search at Roundham. The Torbay RNLI crew launched at 12:10pm and put two members ashore to search the rocks in driving rain and strong west to north-westerly winds. Nobody was found, and the crew were back at station by 2:48pm. Daily ExpressR “Solent Coastguard requested a daylight search at the Roundham. Our volunteer Crew were paged at 11:56am assembled at 12:01pm and launched at 12:10pm.” Read at Daily Express ↗ Daily MirrorL “Nobody was found and the crew were stood down by Solent returning to station by 2:48pm” Read at Daily Mirror ↗ Mixed · 2During the evening, Torbay RNLI also helped a fisherman whose small boat had suffered engine failure. The boat was sheltering in the cliffs near London Bridge and was towed into harbour. Daily ExpressR “The vessel was tucked into the cliffs near London Bridge, sheltering from the weather. The boat was towed into the harbour.” Read at Daily Express ↗ Daily MirrorL “a radio call for help from a fisherman whose small fishing boat suffered an engine failure” Read at Daily Mirror ↗
Mixed · 2The Express says the search for the man is ongoing. The Mirror says the nine-hour operation ended with no trace. Neither names the man or says whether he has been found; the Mirror quotes the RNLI saying the two call-outs 'did not lead to a conclusive outcome'. The Express describes Austen as the first named storm of the 2026/2027 autumn/winter season. Daily ExpressR “RNLI say the search for the man is also ongoing.”“during the first named storm of the 2026/2027 autumn/ winter season” Read at Daily Express ↗ Daily MirrorL “Whilst the two shouts did not lead to a conclusive outcome” Read at Daily Mirror ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left1 outlet
- Framing
- The Mirror frames the story around the scale of the nine-hour search, which it says ended with no trace. It uses scare quotes around 'vanishes' and hedges on whether the man entered the sea. It draws on DevonLive's reporting.
- Emphasis
- The length of the search and the volunteer crews, including the RNLI's praise for in-station support and the crews' families providing tea and bacon sandwiches.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not say the search is ongoing, and does not mention the first-named-storm context.
- Charged language
- “huge nine-hour search”“'vanishes'”
- For example
-
“Man 'vanishes' into sea during Storm Austen as nine-hour search ends with no trace” — Daily Mirror
“A huge nine-hour search operation took place for a man who is reported to have entered the sea in the storm.” — Daily Mirror
Centre0 outlets
No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Right1 outlet
- Framing
- The Express leads with the man's clothing and the storm, and states that he 'vanishes into the sea' in the headline, with a more definite framing of the disappearance. It says the search is ongoing.
- Emphasis
- The man's light clothing, the storm's intensity and the multi-agency response. It calls Austen the first named storm of the season.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not quote the RNLI's praise of crews and supporters, and does not say the all-weather lifeboat was at sea for more than eight hours.
- Charged language
- “vanishes into the sea”“major search and rescue operation”
- For example
-
“Man last seen leaving hotel in shorts and T-shirt amid Storm Austen vanishes into the sea” — Daily Express
“RNLI say the search for the man is also ongoing.” — Daily Express
What every side reports
- CCTV showed a man leaving a hotel in shorts and a T-shirt at lunchtime.
- Torbay RNLI, Exmouth RNLI, the coastguard and police searched near Goodrington during Storm Austen.
- The overnight search ended at around 2am with nobody found.
- A daylight search at Roundham the next day also found nobody.
- A fisherman with engine failure was towed into harbour during the same period.
Where accounts differ
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Status of the man and the search
- Left
- The Mirror says he is 'reported to have entered the sea' and that the nine-hour search 'ends with no trace'.
- Right
- The Express says he 'vanishes into the sea' and is 'feared to have been swept out to sea', and that the search is ongoing.
Storm Austen event
Storm Austen is described as the first named storm of the 2026/27 season. Torbay RNLI says it brought challenging sea states and force five to eight gusts, which hampered the search.
“during the first named storm of the 2026/2027 autumn/ winter season” — Daily Express
“Storm Austen’s presence meant the sea state and weather conditions were challenging” — Daily Express
Left1 article
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Man 'vanishes' into sea during Storm Austen as nine-hour search ends with no trace
Sympathetic Emphasises the huge nine-hour search and the inconclusive result, hedges the account with quote marks and 'appeared to', and ends with praise for volunteer crews.
Centre0 articles
No coverage yet.
Right1 article
-
Man last seen leaving hotel in shorts and T-shirt amid Storm Austen vanishes into the sea
Alarmist Leads with the man's clothing and a definite 'vanishes into the sea', while the text hedges with 'feared'; presents the search as ongoing.
- 25 Oct 21:21 First Daily ExpressR Man last seen leaving hotel in shorts and T-shirt amid Storm Austen vanishes into the sea
- 25 Oct 21:50 +30m Daily MirrorL Man 'vanishes' into sea during Storm Austen as nine-hour search ends with no trace
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.
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