'My son and nephew nearly drowned on holiday - the RNLI saved their lives in a dramatic rescue'
“Nothing mattered to those people in that boat but saving lives”
A Leeds mother whose son and nephew almost drowned on a family holiday has urged families to be cautious on the coastlines this summer.
Zully’s family’s trip to Blackpool during the May half-term quickly became a “nightmare” when her 10-year-old son Subby and 12-year-old nephew Kizza found themselves stuck in the water while waves crashed around them.
As the tide started to rise rapidly, the two boys clung to the pier stanchions and Zully desperately tried to reach them.
Zully said: “It didn’t feel real, it was like I was in some kind of helpless dream – a nightmare.
I could see my nephew hanging on, but I could see the fear in his eyes. I could see my boy submerged next to the poles of the pier.
“I scrambled along the pole and was shouting desperately to him, but I just couldn’t get to him.”
Zully’s nephew Ted also tried to wade into the water to reach the boys but couldn’t get close enough.
A 999 call was made by a member of the public and the Coastguard requested the launch of Blackpool Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) lifeboat.
Police took Zully out of the water and she remembers frantically calling for help to save her family.
“I was shouting at the top of my voice - we need the orange boat,” she said.
“At this point the boys had been hanging on for 40 minutes. I could see the water going over his head and him gasping for air, but I was struggling to see if he’d come back up again.”
The RNLI D-class inshore lifeboat managed to locate Subby and Kizza as it was manoeuvred alongside the pier stanchions in turn to allow the crew to safely rescue the children.
The two boys were treated by paramedics waiting at the shoreline while a second crew on scene rescued Ted.
Since the incident, Zully has expressed her gratitude to the RNLI crews who saved her family’s lives.
Zully said: “God bless these people who came. 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 crew were all living in that moment, they had no concern for all those people watching and everything going on around them.”
Zully continued: “They went in there with a job to do. They don’t get enough credit for what they do. Nothing mattered to those people in that boat but saving lives and that’s incredible.”
Now the Leeds mother hopes to use her family’s traumatic experience to raise awareness of the dangers of swimming in open water ahead of World Drowning Prevention Day on July 25.
Chris Cousens, RNLI Water Safety Lead said: “We are incredibly grateful to Zully and her family for their courage in speaking up about their experience to ensure others are mindful of the risks.
“Nobody visits the coast expecting to get into difficulty. We’re urging families to check the tide times before you go. If you can’t understand the information on tide tables, ask people who know the area and pay attention to any safety signs.
“Always carry a means of calling for help, like a fully charged mobile phone. If you do get into difficulty, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.”
The RNLI’s ‘Float to Live’ strategy also issues the following advice:
- Tilt your head back, with your ears submerged
- Relax and try to breathe normally
- Move your hands and feet to help you stay afloat
- It’s fine if your legs sink, we all float differently
- Practise floating in a local pool if you can.
Meanwhile, if you see someone else struggling in water, the RNLI advise you to take the following actions:
- Call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard.
- Tell the person to relax and float on their back.
- Throw something buoyant to help them stay afloat.