Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Wales Online
Wales Online
National
Angharad Thomas

Two children taken to hospital after getting into difficulty at Welsh beach

Two children were rescued from the sea at Pendine beach on Thursday. The alarm was raised with the coastguard at around 1.40pm on June 1, after a report of an eight-year-old and nine-year-old facing difficulty in the surf off Pendine.

Coastguard search and rescue helicopter, Dyfed-Powys Police, Welsh Ambulance Service and RNLI lifeboat from Tenby were called to the scene. The children were picked up by a passing boat before being handed over to the RNLI lifeboat from Tenby - which winched them into the helicopter to take them back to the beach, where they were reunited with their parents. The children were then transported by road to Glangwili Hospital for further treatment.

Read more: Swarms of jellyfish wash up on Welsh beach

A statement from His Majesty's Coastguard said: "Two youngsters were rescued from the sea at Pendine beach in south Wales today (Thursday 1 June). The alarm was raised with HM Coastguard at about 1.40pm.

"The children were picked up by a passing boat before being handed over to the RNLI lifeboat from Tenby which took them back to the beach. The Coastguard search and rescue helicopter from St Athan landed on the beach to provide medical support, and Coastguard Rescue Teams were despatched from Tenby and Llansteffan.

"The youngsters were checked by an ambulance crew and reunited with their parents. Dyfed-Powys Police were also alerted."

A statement from Dyfed-Powys Police said: "Officers were called to Pendine beach at around 1.30pm this afternoon to a report that two children were in difficulty in the sea. The children, who were aged eight and nine, were located by HM Coastguard who took them to safety."

*If you’re heading to the beach, please take some time to check information about tide times, heights and currents at that location to lessen the risk of you or your family being caught in strong water. For advice on staying safe at the beach, visit Beach safety | HM Coastguard UK."

The volunteer crew were soon on the water and made best speed to the scene, some 8 miles north-east of Tenby (Tenby Lifeboats RNLI)
It was decided to winch the children into the helicopter and land them on the beach so that a land ambulance could take them to hospital as a precaution (Tenby Lifeboats RNLI)

A Welsh Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We were called today (01 June) shortly before 2pm to reports of an incident in Pendine, Carmarthen. We sent one emergency ambulance, a duty operational manager and one Cymru high acuity response unit paramedic to the scene, where we were supported by the Coastguard. Two people were transported by road to Glangwili Hospital for further treatment.”

A statement from Tenvy Lifeboats RNLI said: "Two lives saved after children get in trouble in surf off Pendine. Tenby’s all-weather lifeboat was requested to launch at 1.40pm on Thursday 1st June, following a report of children in difficulty in the surf off Pendine. The volunteer crew were soon on the water and made best speed to the scene, some eight miles north-east of Tenby.

"On arrival, they discovered that the crew of the range safety vessel ‘Spartan’ had pulled both casualties from the water. As they were being transferred to the lifeboat, a coastguard rescue helicopter arrived overhead and their paramedic was lowered aboard the lifeboat to check the children over.

"It was decided to winch them into the helicopter and land them on the beach so that a land ambulance could take them to hospital as a precaution. With both children now safely on the beach, the lifeboat was stood down to return to station arriving at 3.10pm."

Read next:

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.