Frightening moment young girl is swept into sea while playing with friends before ‘quick-thinking’ bystander steps in
9 August 2023, 01:37
Terrifying moment girl is swept away by sea
This is the moment a young girl was swept into the sea while playing with her friends before a member of the public rushed to save her.
Video footage captured of a young girl playing with her friends playing on a pier in Ilfracombe, Devon shows the terrifying moment she’s swept out to sea as the waves grow more “volatile”.
Three children are shown running up and down on the seafront pier "playing" in the video as the waves from the sea grow more aggressive.
But soon after, one of them is knocked down by the waves and thrown under the barriers of the pier's ramp.
The girl struggles as she attempts to hold onto the barriers but is repeatedly pushed under by the unrelenting waves.
Her friends appear visibly panicked before one runs away to go and find help.
Other bystanders soon intervene after they notice the girl struggling underwater before one quick-thinking member of the public runs down to the bottom of the pier and manages to get the girl to safety.
Posting the video on Twitter, North Devon Council issued an urgent warning to the public after the “close call” incident.
“Sea conditions can be changeable and volatile, so please be mindful along the coast,” the council wrote.
“This incident took place at Ilfracombe Harbour on Thursday evening and could have been much more serious were it not for quick-thinking members of the public.”
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“Thankfully those involved only suffered minor injuries, which were treated by Ilfracombe RNLI.
“Playing around the slipway in volatile conditions, and activities such as tombstoning can be extremely dangerous and we urge members of the public to act safely at the harbour.”
Ilfracombe Royal National Lifeboat Institution responded to the incident and later provided casualty care to two kids.
The group were then taken home.
Ilfracombe Harbourmaster boss Georgina Carlo-Paat also said: “This incident is a serious reminder of the dangers of tombstoning and other high-risk activities in the harbour.
"Not only were the youths lucky not to be more seriously injured, they put their lives in danger as well as those of quick-thinking bystanders who acted when they got into trouble.
“The sea conditions were very volatile and all of the youths had been knocked off their feet on the slipway prior to the incident, but still continued to run into surging waves.
"Thankfully the RNLI were on exercise in the outer harbour at the time and were able to respond very quickly and tended to their injuries before escorting them all home.”
