TWO people were pulled from the sea off Bournemouth during a major multi-agency incident on Wednesday afternoon which saw the beach evacuated.
Air ambulances, the Coastguard helicopter, police, ambulances, the fire service, coastguard rescue teams and an RNLI lifeboat attended the incident near Bournemouth Pier.
A stretch of Bournemouth beach was cleared by lifeguards so two air ambulances could land on the sand in front of hundreds of onlookers.
Girl, 12, and boy, 17, die after incident in water off Bournemouth Pier
LIVE: Bournemouth beach cleared due to 'major incident'
HM Coastguard said it assisted South West Ambulance Service after a call was received from Poole Bay RNLI Lifeguards about people in difficulty in the water.
A spokesperson for HM Coastguard said: “Two people had been pulled from the water and passed into the care of the ambulance service.
“Coastguards searched to make sure there were no other people missing and are satisfied there are not.”
A spokesperson for the South Western Ambulance NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) said: “We were called at 16:07 on Wednesday 31 May to a sea incident in Bournemouth. We sent x2 air ambulances, x6 double-crewed land ambulances, x1 critical care car, x2 operations officers, x1 doctor, x1 hazardous area response team and x1 responding officer.
“We conveyed two patients to Royal Bournemouth Hospital and Poole Hospital.”
University Hospitals Dorset said: “We were alerted to an incident in Bournemouth earlier today and we are working on our response with partners.”
Eemen, who was visiting Bournemouth from Southampton today with her three-month-old son and mother, was on the beach when emergency services started to arrive.
She said it was around 4.15pm when she heard the lifeguards running across the beach telling people to clear the beach because the air ambulance needed to land.
Eemen told the Echo lifeguards were searching the sea and there were also lifeguards on jet skis.
She said lifeguards blocked off a section of the beach with windbreaks and chairs.
She was told by emergency services that it is a "major incident".
Police officers cordoned off Pier Approach and access to the Bath Road flyover was also closed off to motorists.
A Dorset Police spokesperson said: “Dorset Police received a report at 4.32pm on Wednesday 31 May 2023 from the ambulance service requesting assistance on the beach off Bournemouth Pier.
"Officers are currently in attendance clearing the area to assist HM Coastguard and the ambulance service, who are dealing with the incident.”
Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said; “We were called to East Beach, Bournemouth at 4.39pm to support a multi-agency incident. We have crews in attendance from Westbourne and Springbourne, together with a technical rescue team from Poole.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article