Two young boys were rescued by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) after becoming trapped beneath Blackpool Pier amid rough seas. The incident occurred on May 28 during a family day out.
Footage released by the RNLI shows the 10- and 12-year-old boys clinging to the pier's stanchions as waves crashed around them. Their mother, Zully from Leeds, watched from the shore as her younger son, Subby, repeatedly disappeared beneath the water. She had attempted to reach the boys but was forced back by the strong surf. Her 21-year-old nephew, Ted, also clung to the pier supports in an effort to help.
A member of the public alerted authorities, prompting HM Coastguard to request the launch of Blackpool RNLI's D-class inshore lifeboat. The volunteer crew, responding to their 11th callout in seven days, reached the scene in four minutes. They maneuvered their rescue boat alongside the pier supports and pulled each boy to safety.
The boys had been stranded by a fast-rising tide and had been battling the sea for approximately 40 minutes. After being brought aboard the lifeboat, they were taken ashore to awaiting paramedics. A second RNLI lifeboat was deployed to rescue Ted from the pier.
Zully described the rescue as a miracle and expressed profound gratitude for the RNLI volunteers. "God bless these people who came," she said. "I can't comprehend the fact they are just normal people with jobs and their own family, but they'd risk that to save my family."
The family was celebrating Eid al-Adha and had checked tide times before visiting the beach, but Zully noted that they were caught off guard by how quickly conditions changed.
The RNLI released the footage ahead of World Drowning Prevention Day, urging families to be aware of rapidly changing tides and to learn survival techniques when visiting the coast.
