By Isle of Wight ObserverTwo girls “nearly drowned” during a walk across a swampy beach channel.
The Bembridge and St Helen’s Fort Walk which fell on Monday (August 13) this year due to tidal patterns was well attended by people of all ages.
However, the volunteer crew of ‘RNLB Norman Harvey’ (D-778) were kept busy during this year’s pilgrimage.
A spokesman for RNLI Bembridge said: “Two dogs were re-united with their owners and towards the end, two girls – thought to be aged around seven and ten – nearly drowned when they were walking back from having walked to the fort and fell into some deep holes in Bembridge Channel.
“Fortunately, their progress was being monitored by the volunteer three man crew of ‘RNLB Norman Harvey’ which had been launched earlier in the evening to provide a safety presence at this annual happening and they were pulled out of the water by the quick thinking crew who swum to them and brought them back to the ‘Norman Harvey’.
“With the two youngsters safely on board the lifeboat, they were taken to the shore to rendezvous with local Coastguard officers and to be reunited with the remaining members of their party.
“Unfortunately, the girls then left the scene without leaving any details with the Coastguard and without the girls being checked over medically.”
An appeal has been issued through social media for them to medically checked over as soon as possible. Bembridge RNLI are concerned they could have ingested a quantity of water when they had gone under water and they were therefore at risk from “secondary drowning”.
“In a separate incident a child, initially thought to be suffering from anaphylactic shock was brought back to the Lifeboat Station and handed over to a waiting ambulance,” said an RNLI Bembridge spokesman.
