Mersea Island incident
Discussion
This looks horrible: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cwyjpdg5940t
I know this place very well. It feels to me more than a 'caught in the tide' incident which isn't a particularly severe threat there.
Very sad nonetheless.
I know this place very well. It feels to me more than a 'caught in the tide' incident which isn't a particularly severe threat there.
Very sad nonetheless.
StevieBee said:
This looks horrible: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cwyjpdg5940t
I know this place very well. It feels to me more than a 'caught in the tide' incident which isn't a particularly severe threat there.
Very sad nonetheless.
Very sad. By chance, a very recent episode of BBC's Countryfile was about the island. I know this place very well. It feels to me more than a 'caught in the tide' incident which isn't a particularly severe threat there.
Very sad nonetheless.
RIP, the poor family.
I grew up there, spent many days/nights/weekends on that beach and in those waters, having to wade/swim across from the various islands after getting stuck. A friend's dad was coxswain of the lifeboat, and used to go haywire at us if we ever went anywhere near the sand/mud banks at low tide.
That said, the lifeboat station is very close, less than 2 miles away, and that's a very popular beach, the huts would have been well occupied. Also the whole coast, from off Mersea right up the river towards Colchester, sees a lot of "stuck in the mud" type incidents, and it's common knowledge how to easily free someone - pump/pour/force water down beside their legs (or whatever part is stuck), any of the local responders would know that. That they got in to trouble at 5.30pm, the tide wasn't particularly high (or fast), and the services couldn't get them out, is really strange, and utterly tragic.
I grew up there, spent many days/nights/weekends on that beach and in those waters, having to wade/swim across from the various islands after getting stuck. A friend's dad was coxswain of the lifeboat, and used to go haywire at us if we ever went anywhere near the sand/mud banks at low tide.
That said, the lifeboat station is very close, less than 2 miles away, and that's a very popular beach, the huts would have been well occupied. Also the whole coast, from off Mersea right up the river towards Colchester, sees a lot of "stuck in the mud" type incidents, and it's common knowledge how to easily free someone - pump/pour/force water down beside their legs (or whatever part is stuck), any of the local responders would know that. That they got in to trouble at 5.30pm, the tide wasn't particularly high (or fast), and the services couldn't get them out, is really strange, and utterly tragic.
It is very sad but an unusual part of the coast to get into trouble. Were it near the bridge across from the mainland (where people water ski and jetski) I could have understood it more.
As I have said, very sad and not what people might expect on a summer's day, in calm conditions (as Rusty Banger mentioned)
As I have said, very sad and not what people might expect on a summer's day, in calm conditions (as Rusty Banger mentioned)
They have confirmed it was a Mother and her fifteen year old daughter trying to save a younger child who was part of their group.
One eyewitness said that a man who was on the beach swam out and brought back three people, so sounds like it could have ended up being even worse without him. Though not all of those three may have been saved as at least one was in a bad way.
One eyewitness said that a man who was on the beach swam out and brought back three people, so sounds like it could have ended up being even worse without him. Though not all of those three may have been saved as at least one was in a bad way.
t is peddled into your feed all the time, but your geographical location and browsing should prompt sea/river safety warnings to pop up in the feed. Not some triggering political stuff.Roofless Toothless said:
We ve got a static caravan a couple of miles further up the beach. In fact my son s family are there now. Mersea is a nice place and I am very fond of it.
Not the time to speculate but it was such a calm day yesterday. It is hard to see what could have happened,
I visited a long time ago, IIRC the beach is very flat, reminiscent of Morecambe; are there sand banks that you can get trapped on by a rising tide? TV news interviewed a woman describing fast flowing water which doesn't seem like something that would be encountered, except in a tidal gully maybe.Not the time to speculate but it was such a calm day yesterday. It is hard to see what could have happened,
StevieBee said:
_Rodders_ said:
They should play drowning videos to every parent and immigrant.
The number of parents that refuse the free swimming lessons that schools provide is staggering.
A) What is that number and what is the source?The number of parents that refuse the free swimming lessons that schools provide is staggering.
B) Why the need to include reference to 'and immigrants'?
B) A disproportionate number of minorities are involved in drownings, to the point that it’s almost predictable when these things pop up on the news.
hidetheelephants said:
Roofless Toothless said:
We ve got a static caravan a couple of miles further up the beach. In fact my son s family are there now. Mersea is a nice place and I am very fond of it.
Not the time to speculate but it was such a calm day yesterday. It is hard to see what could have happened,
I visited a long time ago, IIRC the beach is very flat, reminiscent of Morecambe; are there sand banks that you can get trapped on by a rising tide? TV news interviewed a woman describing fast flowing water which doesn't seem like something that would be encountered, except in a tidal gully maybe.Not the time to speculate but it was such a calm day yesterday. It is hard to see what could have happened,
When the tide goes out there are mud flats, but again, I struggle to think of anything anywhere near Seaview that would cause a problem. You just get a LOT of flat, stony mud. A perfect storm of unaware visitors, no swimming ability, and not realising the danger until it was far, FAR too late. Incredibly sad.
In the reporting today it says:
"The young boy is said to have become stranded on a sandbank after being cut off by the incoming tide, prompting family members to enter the water in an attempt to rescue him."
Been a while since I've been to that beach at Mersea, is it quite a shallow angle? I've seen kids get cut off on sand banks near Yarmouth and Le Touquet beach before as they're fairly flat, so the tide comes in far quicker than you'd expect.
Awful story though, props to the anonymous chap who went in three times to rescue people.
"The young boy is said to have become stranded on a sandbank after being cut off by the incoming tide, prompting family members to enter the water in an attempt to rescue him."
Been a while since I've been to that beach at Mersea, is it quite a shallow angle? I've seen kids get cut off on sand banks near Yarmouth and Le Touquet beach before as they're fairly flat, so the tide comes in far quicker than you'd expect.
Awful story though, props to the anonymous chap who went in three times to rescue people.
_Rodders_ said:
The number of parents that refuse the free swimming lessons that schools provide is staggering.
I did the Bronze life saving award when I was at school and subsequently a bit of life guard duty. I saved a couple of people from drowning in one season. It's amazing the number of parents who seem to think being on holiday means they are also on holiday from supervising their kids. From experience, it's not worth pointing it out either. It can take seconds for a kid to drown and even if they don't drown first time round, there is something called secondary drowning, which is rare, but does still happen.
StevieBee said:
A) What is that number and what is the source?
B) Why the need to include reference to 'and immigrants'?
It’s the same in Australia. If you grow up there, you go to surfing/ sea classes from an early age, and respect the sea. Drownings are almost always immigrants (including British) or tourists who don’t know how to deal with rips, or think there is no reason to only swim between the flags. B) Why the need to include reference to 'and immigrants'?
StevieBee said:
_Rodders_ said:
They should play drowning videos to every parent and immigrant.
The number of parents that refuse the free swimming lessons that schools provide is staggering.
A) What is that number and what is the source?The number of parents that refuse the free swimming lessons that schools provide is staggering.
B) Why the need to include reference to 'and immigrants'?
I think there are about 30,000 drownings alone in India each year.
Crumpet said:
StevieBee said:
_Rodders_ said:
They should play drowning videos to every parent and immigrant.
The number of parents that refuse the free swimming lessons that schools provide is staggering.
A) What is that number and what is the source?The number of parents that refuse the free swimming lessons that schools provide is staggering.
B) Why the need to include reference to 'and immigrants'?
B) A disproportionate number of minorities are involved in drownings, to the point that it s almost predictable when these things pop up on the news.
Gassing Station | News, Politics & Economics | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff