Terrifying footage shows a girl being swept out to sea as she played close to the waterfront before she was rescued by a person who fought waves to save her.
A group of four children were spotted at Ilfracombe Harbour during high tide when a wave knocked a girl off her feet and swept her between the railings and into the sea.
Witnesses could be seen looking on in horror to work out how to reach the young girl.
One member of the public retrieved a lifebuoy while another was able to catch the girl before she was swept further out to sea.
Ilfracombe RNLI attended the scene and provided casualty care to two children before taking them home.
A warning has now been issued from North Devon Council about the dangers of the sea following the incident which occurred just before 7pm on August 3.
Harbourmaster Georgina Carlo-Paat said: "This incident is a serious reminder of the dangers of tombstoning and other high-risk activities in the harbour.
"Not only were the youths lucky not to be more seriously injured, they put their lives in danger as well as those of quick-thinking bystanders who acted when they got into trouble.
"The sea conditions were very volatile and all of the youths had been knocked off their feet on the slipway prior to the incident, but still continued to run into surging waves.
"Thankfully the RNLI were on exercise in the outer harbour at the time and were able to respond very quickly and tended to their injuries before escorting them all home."
Other footage on social media of the Devon car park next to the sea shows cars being damaged and a woman being knocked over by the force of the waves.
One large wave crashed down causing one parked vehicle to move and bang into a wall.
The council reminded people of the dangers of tombstoning - jumping or diving from a height into water.
It said a by-law prohibits people from jumping, diving into and swimming at the harbour without permission from the harbourmaster to protect them from risks like "submerged objects and rocks, and the strong currents that can rapidly sweep people away".
The penalty for jumping off the harbour can be up to a £1,000 fine.
from GB News https://ift.tt/yugVTad
