UK coastguard issues warning after six tragic deaths
A warning has been issued to holidaymakers after six people died in incidents off the British coast on Friday and Saturday.
The UK Coastguard urged swimmers to take heed of lifeguard warnings and the changeable weather after the deaths of three men, two women and a young boy.
The first incident happened on Friday afternoon when a freak wave knocked a family off a rock and into the sea at Fistral Beach, Newquay.
Rudy and Lisinda Bruynius and their two-year-old daughter were rescued but Mr Bruynius died later in hospital.
Their daughter, Mckayla, is still in hospital and is believed to be in a serious condition. Her brothers had managed to scramble back on to the rocks.
Coastguards said the sea had caught people off guard by going from normal to a swell of up to 10ft within an hour.
Around lunchtime on Saturday, a man in his 60s died after getting into difficulties while windsurfing off the Essex coast.
He was rescued off West Mersea and airlifted to hospital, but later died.
Later on Saturday a man died after going outside a safety zone at Sandbanks near Poole in Dorset. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Meanwhile in Aberdeen, two brothers were swept away while paddling in the water. Their mother and other people tried to save them, but they too had to be rescued. Five people were taken to hospital but the mother, Julie Walker, and her six-year-old son Lucas did not survive.
Scottish police praised Lucas’ older brother, Samuel, who tried to rescue them and said he is making a steady recovery in hospital.
On Saturday night high tide and strong winds took the life of a women in her 20s who was swimming with a friend off the coast of Jersey and in Green Island another woman, Joy Godfray, died after getting into difficulty in the sea while also swimming with another person.
Following the tragic deaths, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency advised holidaymakers to:
– Stay away from areas where surging waves could sweep you off your feet, or hit rocks and cause a huge amount of spray
– Be careful of tides; it’s easy to become cut off and strong wind conditions will mean that the sea will reach higher levels than expected
– Heed warnings from lifeguards
James Instance for the UK Coastguard added: "What should be an enjoyable experience could so easily take a traumatic turn, so please do listen to warnings and stay at a safe distance from the water."
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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