11 rescued from swollen rivers drama

Aug 3 2008 Sunday Sun

THESE dramatic rescue pictures show a group of young pals being plucked to safety after they were swept away by a flood-swollen river.

Five friends, aged between 10 and 14, were playing in the shallows when the youngest of them, Lee McCann, was swept off his feet and dragged downstream by the current.

His brave pals went in to save him but were themselves whisked 60m (65yds) through the rapidly rising, debris-strewn River Coquet towards two bridges which span it at Felton, Northumberland.

They ended up trapped by the rising water on a small island in the middle of the river until they were rescued by an emergency crew in an RAF helicopter.

Last night, the children — Simon Debbage, 14, Rachel Spinks, 12, her brother Shaun, 11, Joe Thornton, 14, and Lee, 10, who all live in Felton and adjoining village of East Thirston — were back home with their relieved families.

Simon said: “Lee managed to grab a bridge pillar but Shaun and his sister Rachel were pushed past it by the current.

“I managed to get to a shallow part of the river at its centre near to the pillars and was able to wade through the water and helped Lee to the island where the rest of them had now got to.

“We thought we might be able to get across to the other side. Shaun and Joe made it across by swimming and wading, but when Rachel attempted it she disappeared under the water and only just managed to grab a tree branch and then get back to the island.

“We were all scared by now as the river was rising very quickly. One minute the depth gauge on the bridge said one metre and the next it was up to three metres. We thought we would be swept away off the island.”

With the water continuing to rise, the three youngsters decided it was safer to stay put and wait for their pals to get help.

Lee’s dad, Dave McCann, was first on the scene and brought a rope with him. He was joined by villager Raymond Brown who volunteered to go into the river to rescue the children, but his attempts were in vain due to the strong current. With the emergency services now at the scene it was decided a boat rescue was too dangerous and the RAF Sea King helicopter from Boulmer was called.

Firefighters threw a bag with a thermal blanket and a radio to the children to help them keep calm.

Winchman flight sergeant Mark Vickery was lowered onto the island while the helicopter hovered overhead. The children were then lifted up and set down safely at the side of the river.

Rachel said: “After being winched across the river I was so glad to see my father and mum. I was so relieved to get out alive . . . I was very scared. We went to get Lee because he is younger than us and smaller and he couldn’t get back out.

“We couldn’t just leave him to be swept away. But when I was holding on to the tree branches I thought I was going to die.”

Simon’s father, also called Dave, said: “Despite everything, Simon did very well in helping Lee . . . they all did. None of them just left him.

“If they had there was a chance he could have died. I’m proud of Simon and his friends and relieved they are all safe and sound.”

Dads slammed for dinghy adventure

A RESCUE almost identical to the River Coquet drama took place in the North yesterday, involving two families.

One man and his four children, believed to be from the Darlington area, were plucked to safety along with a visiting friend and his two children.

But the dads have been severely criticised by an emergency service chief for taking to the water in such appalling conditions.

The group were winched to safety when they became stranded on an island in a rain-swollen river . . . after getting into difficulties in a blow-up dinghy, apparently with just one paddle.

The parents and their children had to phone for help after their dinghy ran aground on an island in the River Tees at Dalton On Tees, North Yorkshire.

Originally, the party was in two boats but, after they got into difficulties in the fast-flowing river, the men abandoned one vessel and put all the children into the other.

Fire brigades from North Yorkshire and County Durham, and the Durham Police helicopter, rushed to the scene, but they were eventually winched to safety by a Sea King helicopter from RAF Boulmer.

Nigel Phillips, North Yorkshire fire brigade group manager, said: “After receiving the call, we had some difficulty locating the family on the river.

“The police helicopter did eventually locate the family and we arrived at the scene to find the group stranded on a small island in the river.

“They had gone out on the river in a blow-up dinghy with just one paddle.

“It has taken an awful lot of emergency service resources which could have been deployed elsewhere.

“This type of approach by the adults was very dangerous. People have to learn to respect water and rivers.”

A witness said: “They should never have been out on the river in a little flimsy dinghy, especially with young children. They have been very lucky.

“It beggars belief that people would think it was a good idea to go on the river with the rainfall we’ve been having.”

The family was taken to the James Cook Hospital in Middlesbrough but none were thought to be injured.