Major incident as nine people are swept into the sea in Cornwall
Emergency services were called to Gwithian on Wednesday afternoon
Last updated 29th Oct 2020
Nine people have been swept into the sea during a major incident in Cornwall.
It happened in the Gwithian area amid heavy swell and surging waves on Wednesday afternoon.
Lifeguards the St Ives RNLI lifeboat, the Portreath Coastguard Rescue Team and the air ambulance were all called to the scene.
The lifeguards were alerted to the incident by Falmouth Coastguard and responded immediately from neighbouring Gwithian where they had been flying the red flag all day due to the heavy swell and surging waves.
Barney Stevens launched the Rescue Water Craft through the huge breaking surf while another four lifeguards made their way quickly by land.
On arrival all nine casualties were out of the water. The lifeguards worked with the Coastguard to triage and treat the casualties who had a range of injuries from cuts and bruises to water inhalation, before handing over to the ambulance service
Five casualties were airlifted to hospital, the other four were taken by land ambulance.
St Ives RNLI lifeboat crew had left work and home to respond to the emergency and launched the all weather lifeboat, making their way through huge seas to the scene.
Thankfully all casualties were ashore and after standing by to ensure everyone was safe, the crew were stood down and returned to station.
The incident has led the RNLI to renew its safety messages for those visiting the coast over the next few days to stay well back from the water’s edge to avoid being caught out.
"We have been experiencing massive swell hitting the coast and there have been a huge number of interventions made by lifeguards to keep the public safe.
"This was a fantastic multi agency effort which included our colleagues in the emergency services as well as many members of the public.
"These conditions are likely to continue for the next couple of days and we urge anyone visiting the beach or the coastline to stand well back from the sea with large surges of water caused by the swell catching people out."
Tom Mansell, RNLI Lead Lifesaving Manager