A father has recounted the incident in which he saved a boy from drowning after the child's mother cried out for help, stating he acted on instinct.
Two men died on Seaton Carew beach in Hartlepool on Saturday afternoon while trying to rescue the youngster and his older brother from the water. Davey Short, 48, a painter and decorator, described how he saw the younger boy, believed to be around 12 or 13 years old, being swept out to sea while playing in the waves. His older brother, approximately 15 years old, also got into trouble when he attempted to assist him.
Mr. Short, who was on the sand dunes, noticed the distressed mother and ran into the sea. He managed to reach the younger boy and urged him to swim towards him. "He managed to get to me, but I was struggling to get back out with him," Mr. Short stated. Another man joined him, and together they were able to get the boy to safety. Mr. Short noted that the child was unharmed.
He expressed concern that emergency services took around 40 minutes to arrive at the scene, which compelled him to enter the water. "I am a dad myself. I didn't even think about the danger to myself. I just wanted to get that little lad out," he said.
Superintendent Glen Ward of Cleveland Police confirmed the deaths of the two men, extending condolences to their families. "Despite the best efforts of emergency services, sadly both men were pronounced dead a short time after being brought out of the sea," he said. Police are investigating the circumstances, but the deaths are not being treated as suspicious. Superintendent Ward also issued a warning about the dangers of open water, especially during hot weather.
The incident occurred amidst a period of warm weather in the UK, which has been linked to a rise in water-related fatalities. Earlier in the week, a 16-year-old boy died after getting into difficulty in a lake in Lincoln, weeks after another teenager drowned at the same location. In separate incidents on Friday, the bodies of two 18-year-olds were recovered from water in Derby and Greater Manchester following water-related incidents.
Experts have noted that recent heatwaves in May and June are estimated to have contributed to thousands of deaths in Britain, with climate change being a factor in the dangerous heat. Dr. Claire Barnes of Imperial College London highlighted the need for awareness regarding the risks associated with increasingly hot summers.