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Grandmother and grandson swept 4km out to sea on inflatable mattress
A boy who was swept 4km out to sea on an inflatable mattress and his grandmother who dived in to save him were rescued by the coast guard in Naples.
Footage shared by the Italian Coastguard on Sunday (29 June) shows a rescuer swimming out to the five-year-old with a rubber-ring around his shoulder as the child drifted off the western coast of Italy.
The grandmother had dived in to try and rescue him but strong currents meant she could not reach him and she herself became in need of urgent help.
The five-year-old was pulled onto a patrol boat, where he was reunited with his grandmother, who had been rescued moments earlier.
The Italian Coastguard urged the public to “avoid using inflatable mattresses, flotation devices or small rubber dinghies in strong winds”.
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