Mawgan Porth beach deaths: Lifeguard cover to be reviewed

Mawgan Porth beach deaths: Lifeguard cover to be reviewed

 

The three adults were taken from the sea unconscious and received medical treatment on the beach

Lifeguard cover at a beach in Cornwall is to be reviewed after the deaths of three people who are thought to have been surfing in an unprotected area.

Two men and a woman died after being airlifted to hospital from Mawgan Porth beach, near Newquay, on Sunday.
The RNLI said its lifeguard patrols ran from March to September with "clear signs" informing beachgoers of this.
An inquiry into what happened "will form part of the review into whether we need to extend cover there", it said.
The alarm was raised shortly after 13:00 GMT and a search was launched involving Newquay and Padstow Coastguard rescue teams, RNLI lifeboats and a Royal Navy helicopter from RNAS Culdrose.
Four children, described as teenagers, managed to get out of the water but the adults, a man and a woman in their 40s from Cornwall, and a second man, were taken unconscious from the sea.
They were brought to shore via a combination of lifeboats and the helicopter.

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On the beach they were given emergency medical treatment before being airlifted to the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro but were later pronounced dead.
A spokeswoman for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution said regular risk assessments were carried out and lifeguards were positioned "at certain beaches during the summer months and at times that we think will be busy during the year".
"That risk assessment is decided by taking into account the number of users, the type of users, the topography of the area - how the waves fall there - and the proximity of other rescue services.
"Every season an assessment is carried out to see what lifeguards there should be on every beach."
She stressed that "clear signs" at the beach emphasised the lack of lifeguard cover and the dangers of strong currents.
It is thought those in the water got into difficulty when they may have been caught in a rip current, fast-flowing narrow currents which move away from the shore and cut through the lines of breaking waves.
Peter Abell, owner of the nearby Kingsurf surfing school, which was not involved in the incident, said sea conditions on Sunday were "not as bad as it can be" but added some currents were "slightly more dangerous than usual".
Supt Jim Pearce, of Devon and Cornwall Police, said on Sunday: "This is a tragic incident and our condolences go out to the families of those involved.
"Along with the other emergency services, we are now working to ascertain the full circumstances of this incident and our priority is to contact the families of those involved and offer all the support we can."

 

A Royal Navy helicopter from RNAS Culdrose was involved in a search for the surfers