Three children rescued from cave after being cut off by tide
Three
children, who were cut off by the tide in a sea cave this afternoon, had a
lucky escape after one of them called 999.
The
12-year-old boy, and two girls aged 11 and 12 had been playing in the Eye Cave
at Dunbar when they noticed that the tide had come in and trapped them. The boy
called 999 and was routed through to the Police who then relayed the
information through to the Coastguard.
The
Coastguard requested the Dunbar Inshore lifeboat to launch and two Coastguard
rescue teams from Dunbar and North Berwick were sent to the scene. As the teams
arrived on scene, the sea was coming into the cave and the children were up to
their ankles in water. The lifeboat rescued the three children and brought them
to shore where they were reunited with their parents.
“Once
we received the call, we were able to get rescue resources on scene very
quickly so I am pleased to report that other than being a bit shaken and having
wet feet, the children ere unharmed by their ordeal, says HM Coastguard’s
Jonathan Mustard. “The boy did just the right thing by calling 999, although we
would have received the information even more quickly and more directly if he
had also asked for the Coastguard when he spoke to the operator.
“Remember
if you are setting out for a walk along the coast, always check the tide times
and ensure that you leave plenty of time to get back before the tide comes in.
Sea caves are great places to explore, but if you don’t leave enough time to
get out they can be deadly, so please do be especially careful when you visit
them. As winter marches on the weather is becoming increasingly unpredictable
so if you are venturing out make sure that you check weather conditions and
stay away from rough seas and slippery cliff edges.”