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| Mawgan Porth beach deaths: Man 'trying to save others' | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| One of the people who died in a beach tragedy in Cornwall could have been trying to save children in difficulty, the RNLI has said. | |
| Two men and a woman died after being airlifted to hospital from Mawgan Porth beach, near Newquay, on Sunday. | Two men and a woman died after being airlifted to hospital from Mawgan Porth beach, near Newquay, on Sunday. |
| The RNLI said early reports suggested one of the casualties had gone into the sea in a rescue attempt. | |
| Four children, described as teenagers, managed to get out of the water and survived. | |
| Steve Instance, RNLI lifeguard manager for the South West, said: "There was a group of people who were surfing. From the reports we have, one of the people who drowned may have gone in to try to help the others. | |
| "We believe that two of the casualties are local, in their 40s, and the third is a gentleman in his 50s from outside the area. | |
| "We believe that the group of children may have been the first to get into difficulty." | |
| Mr Instance said the relationship between the children and the people who died was not yet clear. | |
| The people who died have not been formally identified but police believe they are a 52-year-old man from the Leeds area, a 44-year-old man from St Austell and a 42-year-old from woman, also from St Austell. | |
| Brendon Prince, a lifeguard from Torbay in Devon, was visiting Mawgan Porth with a friend when the drama unfolded. | |
| He said: "We ran to the first person and dragged them out of the water with one or two other people helping. | |
| "The gentleman was a 52-year-old male. Obviously we sent for a defibrillator and paramedics as soon as we could. | |
| "We then did CPR on the male for 20 minutes before the emergency services arrived and, obviously, the Air Ambulance was first on the scene." | |
| Mr Prince said he spoke with the man's wife at the scene. | |
| He said he believed the man had been in the water with his son and may have been caught in a rip current. | |
| Lifeguard cover, which currently exists from May to September, could be extended following a review of the incident. | |
| The RNLI said its lifeguard patrols ran from May to September with "clear signs" informing beachgoers of this. | |
| An inquiry into what happened "will form part of the review into whether we need to extend cover there", it said. | An inquiry into what happened "will form part of the review into whether we need to extend cover there", it said. |
| The alarm was raised shortly after 13:00 GMT and a search was launched involving Newquay and Padstow Coastguard rescue teams, RNLI lifeboats and a Royal Navy helicopter from RNAS Culdrose. | The alarm was raised shortly after 13:00 GMT and a search was launched involving Newquay and Padstow Coastguard rescue teams, RNLI lifeboats and a Royal Navy helicopter from RNAS Culdrose. |
| They were brought to shore via a combination of lifeboats and the helicopter. | They were brought to shore via a combination of lifeboats and the helicopter. |
| On the beach they were given emergency medical treatment before being airlifted to the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro but were later pronounced dead. | On the beach they were given emergency medical treatment before being airlifted to the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro but were later pronounced dead. |
| A spokeswoman for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution said regular risk assessments were carried out and lifeguards were positioned "at certain beaches during the summer months and at times that we think will be busy during the year". | A spokeswoman for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution said regular risk assessments were carried out and lifeguards were positioned "at certain beaches during the summer months and at times that we think will be busy during the year". |
| "That risk assessment is decided by taking into account the number of users, the type of users, the topography of the area - how the waves fall there - and the proximity of other rescue services. | "That risk assessment is decided by taking into account the number of users, the type of users, the topography of the area - how the waves fall there - and the proximity of other rescue services. |
| "Every season an assessment is carried out to see what lifeguards there should be on every beach." | "Every season an assessment is carried out to see what lifeguards there should be on every beach." |
| Rip currents | |
| Source: Press Association and RNLI | |
| She stressed that "clear signs" at the beach emphasised the lack of lifeguard cover and the dangers of strong currents. | She stressed that "clear signs" at the beach emphasised the lack of lifeguard cover and the dangers of strong currents. |
| It is thought those in the water got into difficulty when they may have been caught in a rip current, fast-flowing narrow currents which move away from the shore and cut through the lines of breaking waves. | It is thought those in the water got into difficulty when they may have been caught in a rip current, fast-flowing narrow currents which move away from the shore and cut through the lines of breaking waves. |
| Peter Abell, owner of the nearby Kingsurf surfing school, which was not involved in the incident, said sea conditions on Sunday were "not as bad as it can be" but added some currents were "slightly more dangerous than usual". | Peter Abell, owner of the nearby Kingsurf surfing school, which was not involved in the incident, said sea conditions on Sunday were "not as bad as it can be" but added some currents were "slightly more dangerous than usual". |
| Supt Jim Pearce, of Devon and Cornwall Police, said on Sunday: "This is a tragic incident and our condolences go out to the families of those involved. | Supt Jim Pearce, of Devon and Cornwall Police, said on Sunday: "This is a tragic incident and our condolences go out to the families of those involved. |
| "Along with the other emergency services, we are now working to ascertain the full circumstances of this incident and our priority is to contact the families of those involved and offer all the support we can." | "Along with the other emergency services, we are now working to ascertain the full circumstances of this incident and our priority is to contact the families of those involved and offer all the support we can." |
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