Shocking moment young girl is swept out to sea as coastguard issues warning

Watch: Shocking moment young girl is swept to sea as coastguards issue fresh warning

This is the shocking moment a young girl was swept into the sea while playing with friends on a pier in Devon.

Video footage taken in the seaside resort of Ilfracombe shows the child knocked off her feet by a huge wave at high tide, shortly before 7pm on 3 August.

The group of four youngsters were on the pier slipway but the girl could be seen desperately trying to hold onto the railings when the waves hit.

However, the power of the waves swept the girl off her feet between the railings and into the sea.

Members of the public can be seen running for help in the footage, while one person threw a lifebuoy to the girl.

Another person entered the water and grabbed the girl before she could be swept away further, bringing her back to safety.

Ilfracombe RNLI responded, providing casualty care to two children before taking them home.

The coastguard have now warned against people taking part in “high-risk activities” that could “put their lives in danger”.

Harbourmaster Georgina Carlo-Paat says: “This incident is a serious reminder of the dangers of tombstoning and other high-risk activities in the harbour.

“Not only were the youths lucky not to be more seriously injured, they put their lives in danger as well as those of quick-thinking bystanders who acted when they got into trouble.

“The sea conditions were very volatile and all of the youths had been knocked off their feet on the slipway prior to the incident, but still continued to run into surging waves.

“Thankfully the RNLI were on exercise in the outer harbour at the time and were able to respond very quickly and tended to their injuries before escorting them all home.”

North Devon Council also warned of “the dangers of the sea” after the incident, reminding people of a byelaw that “prohibits people from jumping, diving into and swimming the harbour without permission from the harbour master”.

They said the law was in place to stop the risks from “strong currents that can rapidly sweep people away”, with a possible £1,000 penalty for jumping off the harbour.

The incident came at the same time as waves on the North Devon coast caused damage to cars parked at the beach last week, according to DevonLive.

What is tombstoning?

While the video does not show tombstoning, it is nevertheless a dangerous activity that officials have warned against.

Tombstoning is the act of diving or jumping from a height – including from piers and cliffs – into water.

It gets its name from the way a person falls and plunges into deep water, similar to a stone being thrown in.

However, the danger comes from uncertainty or misjudgement about how deep the water is or whether there are rocks hidden below the surface of the water, which could lead to serious injury or death.

Jumpers may also not be aware how cold the water is or how strong the current is.