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Charity swimmers rescued from sea Charity swimmers rescued from sea
(about 4 hours later)
A search and rescue operation is under way after dozens of people taking part in a charity swimming race had to be pulled from the sea, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said. Rescue teams pulled dozens of stranded swimmers from choppy seas yesterday as a charity race descended into chaos.
Two people remained unaccounted for after more than 130 swimmers got into difficulty off the coast of Southwold, in Suffolk, a spokeswoman for the agency said. Four lifeboats and a rescue helicopter were involved in the operation after initial reports that up to 90 people were missing. Up to 90 of 130 entrants were unaccounted for at one point as a major air and sea rescue operation was launched to haul those in difficulty off the coast of Suffolk to safety. The 1.2km Southwold pier to pub swim was due to begin at midday, but delays forced organisers to postpone the start.
Two people were taken to Paget university hospital in Great Yarmouth with suspected hypothermia, the spokeswoman said. Coastguards appealed for any swimmers involved in the race who had not reported to them to make contact. Deteriorating conditions and rough waters left many swimmers, some of them novices, unable to cope. After an hour, emergency services were called in.
More details soon … Five lifeboats, an air ambulance and an RAF helicopter were scrambled at about 4pm. Three people were taken to Paget university hospital in Great Yarmouth with suspected hypothermia, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said.
A lifeboat hut near the pier served as a makeshift emergency centre as bedraggled swimmers were dried off and treated. An MCA spokeswoman said it was unsure how so many swimmers got into trouble as weather conditions were fine but admitted the water was very cold. She said a rescue boat helped the majority, while some swam to shore.
One entrant, who was rescued by a boat crew, said it was "like swimming on a treadmill" and after an hour in the water she had ended up north of where she began, having intended to swim south.
Everyone pulled from the water was conscious and there were no reported fatalities, the MCA spokeswoman said.
Lifeboat crews said they pulled 58 people out of the water. The Southwold Lifeboat Station said cuts had forced the service to scale back and the boat used to rescue the swimmers was in its final weekend of action.
The station's Twitter account said: "Crew have now returned from rescuing 58 casualties from a bank holiday swim. Exhausting last weekend for our old lifeboat." It is believed only 20 people finished the race.
Coastguards had earlier urged swimmers involved in the race who had not reported to them to get in contact.
Two women who were unaccounted for after the initial operation ended were found just before 5pm.
The organisers, Active Outdoor Sport, run events including duathlons, running, triathlons, aquathlons and open water swim events, for novices to elite athletes. It was not available for comment.
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