Two children rescued from water at Portrush

Belfast Coastguard received today received a call from a member of the public reporting a man and two children in difficulties in the water at West Strand, Portrush.

It transpired that the children, a boy, aged ten and a girl aged eight, and their father were joined by their mother who also got into difficulties. The woman entered the water but was restrained by going further by someone else on the beach. She then suffered an asthmatic attack.

Coleraine Coastguard rescue team were called to the incident and Portrush RNLI inshore lifeboat was requested to launch.

When the lifeboat arrived they rescued the two children from the water and father made his own way ashore, where his wife was being attended to by the Coastguards. The family were holidaymakers from Dromore in Northern Ireland.

The children were brought ashore onto the beach by the lifeboat where ambulance services then took mother and children to hospital for further treatment.