Human chain saves four people from drowning in sea in Redcar

'It is only through good fortune that all four were rescued alive'

Four people are "fortunate to be alive" after being rescued from the sea off the coast of North Yorkshire by a human chain.

A man slipped off the seafront walk in Redcar and was “battered by large waves” just after 4pm on Good Friday, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) said.

A man he was with then tried to pull him out, only to get stuck himself, swiftly followed by two unfortunate passers-by attempting to help the pair.

Footage shows all four struggling to climb up a soaking, slanted wall, repeatedly pulled back into the water by strong waves.

Other members of the public threw life-rings and eventually pulled them out by forming a human chain.

Dave Cocks, a local operations manager at the RNLI, said: “This was a sequence of events which could so easily have led to multiple deaths.

“The sea at Redcar is very rough as a result of the combined effects of strong winds and a particularly high tide, and the situation ended up with four adults in trouble in the sea, all needing rescue.

“It is only through good fortune that all four were rescued alive.”

All four were taken to hospital and treated for the effects of cold water immersion, the RNLI said.

One person dies from drowning each day in the UK and Ireland, Mr Cocks added.

If you see someone struggling in water you should call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard.

Press Association