Child rescued by Rhyl RNLI as inflatable drifts out to sea

THE Bank holiday continued to be busy for Rhyl RNLI lifeboat crews.
After 5 call-outs on Sunday 30th May, the incidents continued on Bank Holiday Monday with a further two calls.

Again, the offshore wind and high tides caused problems with inflatable toys, boats and balls, being carried out to sea with regularity.

The inshore lifeboat crew from Rhyl launched at 1.22pm and 1.47pm for two such similar 999 calls to the HM coastguard centre at Holyhead. However, it was confirmed that a young child was still aboard the second inflatable. The crew proceeded at full speed to the casualty, which was not far from the first, and so was on scene within three minutes of the second call. The child was a few hundred metres out at sea, but luckily had stayed on the inflatable.

The child’s family had kept a safety line to the shore, but it became detached from the shore and the dinghy drifted out.

The crew came alongside and took the child on board with the inflatable, and successfully returned both to the waiting family on the shore, who had been located by Rhyl volunteer coastguard teams who offered safety advice to the family.

The lifeboat crew returned to station by 2.20pm.

The photo is taken from a video taken on board the lifeboat crew’s head cameras, copyright RNLI, and with the family’s kind permission.

Video. RNLI/Rhyl Crew