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| 'Heroes' hailed for beach rescue | |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Lifeguards have been praised as heroes for saving 40 children and adults after a sandbank collapsed into the sea. | |
| Coastguards said some of the group would have died if lifeguards at Tenby, Pembrokeshire, had not reacted so soon. | |
| One guard was already heading out to warn the 36 children and four adults when they were plunged into the water, and he was able to start rescuing them. | |
| All of the youngsters, from Brynaman, Carmarthenshire, are safe and well, but they said it had been "very scary". | All of the youngsters, from Brynaman, Carmarthenshire, are safe and well, but they said it had been "very scary". |
| Dave Miller, the coastguard sector manager in south Pembrokeshire, said the lifeguards did a "superb job.". | |
| He said: "If not for their fast response times and the methods they used at the scene, lives would have been lost.' | |
| The group were on a team-building exercise with an organisation called Action Camp at about 1600 BST on Saturday when the drama began. | The group were on a team-building exercise with an organisation called Action Camp at about 1600 BST on Saturday when the drama began. |
| Senior RNLI lifeguard Adam Pitman said all 40 people thrown into the sea were in danger. | Senior RNLI lifeguard Adam Pitman said all 40 people thrown into the sea were in danger. |
| "They were all fully clothed, so no matter how good a swimmer you are you are not going to be able to swim." | "They were all fully clothed, so no matter how good a swimmer you are you are not going to be able to swim." |
| Jon Johnston, a senior RNLI lifeguard, said the group had been spotted, and he was heading out on a rescue vehicle to tell them to turn back when the sandbank collapsed. | Jon Johnston, a senior RNLI lifeguard, said the group had been spotted, and he was heading out on a rescue vehicle to tell them to turn back when the sandbank collapsed. |
| "They walked about 20-25m out and then the sandbank just shifted, so they were all out of their depth within seconds. | "They walked about 20-25m out and then the sandbank just shifted, so they were all out of their depth within seconds. |
| If the lifeguard wasn't here it would have been a terrible situation, there could have been lives lost Jon Johnston, lifeguard | If the lifeguard wasn't here it would have been a terrible situation, there could have been lives lost Jon Johnston, lifeguard |
| "It was the biggest rescue I've seen," said Mr Johnston, 21, who is from Selly Oak, Birmingham. | |
| "I went in on a rescue 'tube' [similar to a large surf board] and asked for assistance from fellow lifeguards. | "I went in on a rescue 'tube' [similar to a large surf board] and asked for assistance from fellow lifeguards. |
| "I secured as many people as I could, waited for another lifeguard to come and then as soon as Adam [Pitman] arrived we shuttled them back to shore and waited for the ambulance and coastguard assistance. | "I secured as many people as I could, waited for another lifeguard to come and then as soon as Adam [Pitman] arrived we shuttled them back to shore and waited for the ambulance and coastguard assistance. |
| "If the lifeguard wasn't here it would have been a terrible situation, there could have been lives lost. | "If the lifeguard wasn't here it would have been a terrible situation, there could have been lives lost. |
| "But fortunately lifeguards were here, we were very proactive. We went to tell them to come back to shore but fortunately as we were there the sandbank shifted so we were on the spot. | "But fortunately lifeguards were here, we were very proactive. We went to tell them to come back to shore but fortunately as we were there the sandbank shifted so we were on the spot. |
| "It was at low tide. The tide was turning, which is the strongest current on the beach. It's only soft sand around here, so basically the sand beneath them all just shifted with the tide which caused a rip current which was dragging them back out to sea. | "It was at low tide. The tide was turning, which is the strongest current on the beach. It's only soft sand around here, so basically the sand beneath them all just shifted with the tide which caused a rip current which was dragging them back out to sea. |
| Lifeguard Adam Pitman teams practiced regularly for rescues | Lifeguard Adam Pitman teams practiced regularly for rescues |
| He said there was no-one hurt, but those rescued were shocked. | He said there was no-one hurt, but those rescued were shocked. |
| "The ambulance checked them over. We had two children - one possible near-drowning and one possible breathing difficulties, but they were both checked over. | "The ambulance checked them over. We had two children - one possible near-drowning and one possible breathing difficulties, but they were both checked over. |
| Mr Johnston said luck played a big part in the rescue. "If we weren't there at the time, if we weren't pro-active, if we didn't go out to tell them to come back, (then) minutes, seconds would have counted on that rescue. We were lucky we were there." | Mr Johnston said luck played a big part in the rescue. "If we weren't there at the time, if we weren't pro-active, if we didn't go out to tell them to come back, (then) minutes, seconds would have counted on that rescue. We were lucky we were there." |
| Two of the group who were on an activity holiday at a nearby caravan park were taken to hospital at Haverfordwest after the dramatic rescue. | Two of the group who were on an activity holiday at a nearby caravan park were taken to hospital at Haverfordwest after the dramatic rescue. |
| Mr Pitman sped out on a quad bike to join Mr Johnston, who was on a rescue board, similar to a surf board. | Mr Pitman sped out on a quad bike to join Mr Johnston, who was on a rescue board, similar to a surf board. |
| 'Walking backwards' | 'Walking backwards' |
| "We ended up doing relay rescues finding the weakest swimmers first and bringing (them) back into shore and then returning out and ushering the strongest swimmers back in." | "We ended up doing relay rescues finding the weakest swimmers first and bringing (them) back into shore and then returning out and ushering the strongest swimmers back in." |
| The RNLI praised lifeguards (l-r) Adam Pitman, Coral Lewis and Jon Johnston | The RNLI praised lifeguards (l-r) Adam Pitman, Coral Lewis and Jon Johnston |
| "We practice for these kinds of situations a couple of times a week but you don't always envisage the numbers that we actually had in the water in difficulty at one time. | "We practice for these kinds of situations a couple of times a week but you don't always envisage the numbers that we actually had in the water in difficulty at one time. |
| "We had people in the second process of drowning. A couple of people ended up going under the water and were pulled back out, a couple of people who were starting to get hypothermic and one person had a mild asthma attack." | "We had people in the second process of drowning. A couple of people ended up going under the water and were pulled back out, a couple of people who were starting to get hypothermic and one person had a mild asthma attack." |
| Some of the youngsters caught up in the rescue admitted it had been "very scary". | Some of the youngsters caught up in the rescue admitted it had been "very scary". |
| One, Jacob, 16, said they had linked arms in groups as part of a challenge and were walking backwards into the sea when the sandbank collapsed. | One, Jacob, 16, said they had linked arms in groups as part of a challenge and were walking backwards into the sea when the sandbank collapsed. |
| "It was fine we were all in up to about our shoulders and the bank just gave way and the tide kept coming in," he said. | "It was fine we were all in up to about our shoulders and the bank just gave way and the tide kept coming in," he said. |
| "Everyone started panicking for a little bit". | "Everyone started panicking for a little bit". |
| Another of those rescued, Emily, 17, said: "It probably could have gone a lot worse so we are lucky. | Another of those rescued, Emily, 17, said: "It probably could have gone a lot worse so we are lucky. |
| "It could have been better planned, but everyone's OK so that's the best thing". | "It could have been better planned, but everyone's OK so that's the best thing". |