Latest news with #rescue
BBC News
3 hours ago
- Climate
- BBC News
Why do people get cut off by the tide at Wells-next-the-Sea?
A lifeboat service said it has rescued more people cut off by the tide in the past six months than it has in the past seven years. Last week it was called out after 40 people were cut off at two locations on the Norfolk coastline in the space of two hours. Why is the tide so dangerous and what can you do if you get stranded? With heatwaves arriving, the RNLI crew at Wells-next-the-Sea, in Norfolk, has seen hoards of people visit the beach early in the summer season. Despite signs and sirens at the beach, Mandy Humphreys, the water safety officer at Wells RNLI, said a lot of people have a lack of knowledge about the tides. Impact of a changing seabed Ms Humphreys said the contours of the seabed were "always changing" which leads to people being cut off by the tide, even if they have visited that beach before."This is a natural phenomenon. The seabed in this area is very sandy."Unfortunately, over the last couple of years a sandbar has been forming and gradually growing, which runs parallel to Wells beach. The drain that separates it from the rest of the beach is getting deeper." A sandbar is a submerged area of sand or sediment which is formed by waves and currents offshore from a one formed at Wells is said to have one steep side and the other having a shallow Humphreys said she has been involved in rescues where people did not realise they had been cut off. "The beach is very alluring. It's absolutely beautiful... there are a significant number of people that we rescue that don't understand the basics about tides." Tides and times vary Tide times and heights vary throughout the year and can be affected by a number of factors, including the spring equinox, which Ms Humphreys said brings bigger tides than people added that rising sea levels also have an impact and the RNLI can be called out all year round by people cut off by the tide.A tidal surge in March made a "big tide even bigger" and left three people stranded on an area of marshland north of Stiffkey were found "waist deep in water" in an area where the RNLI has not had to rescue people before. Even locals are vulnerable It is not just beachgoers who have found themselves in troubled waters. As the seabed and sand is ever changing, people living locally and those who have visited the beach on multiple occasions can never be sure of the conditions. As one of the hotspots where people become stranded, the RNLI was first alerted to the sandbar at the beach after a group of local residents became unknowingly her time with the RNLI Ms Humphreys has taken part in a simulation of what it is like to be stranded on a sandbar, and despite wearing a life jacket and having a crew near by she said she was left feeling "incredibly vulnerable".She added: "I've helped rescue people from that sandbar and being stood on that sandbar myself... I still felt quite vulnerable and the urge to wade back to safety is a very strong one, I really understand that now." Be aware of the dangers Ms Humphreys said people visiting the beach often have a lower perception of danger when on far this year 43 people have been rescued by the Wells crew after being stranded, with 34 of them at Wells beach."I've been on rescues where we have gone out... the water has been up to my thigh, and then sometimes if there are dogs or children that are frightened it takes some minutes to get them in, and then it [the water] is up to my waist."Having worked with Wells RNLI for the past seven years, Ms Humphreys said it can take crew members up to 10 minutes to get to an incident after being paged. One of the worst things is they do not always know the exact details of the incident they are going out to."The Stiffkey shout, where we had three shouts on Mothering Sunday, we knew they were up to their waists in water… as a crew member that puts the fear of God into me. Every second really does matter."That's real pressure. So we encourage people that if they are cut off, the earlier they can tell us, the longer we have to get there before they are up to their waists in water." What to do in an emergency If you are stranded at the beach, the RNLI urges people to call 999 for help and use what3words to help the service locate is advised people get back to dry sand at least four hours before high tide. Ms Humphreys said: "If they sit tight and wait for the lifeboat to get there, that's the safest thing to do."For Wells station in particular, we know from the description where they are." Even though people may want to wade through the water, the steep side of the sandbar means people can find themselves in deep water "quicker than expected". "It's not the people who call 999 that worry me so much, it's the people who wade back to safety themselves. We get reports of parents holding children above their heads and I worry that if someone loses their footing, you then have a youngster and an adult in the water." The RNLI's Float to Live campaign advises people that if they find themselves in difficulty they should tilt their head back in the water, try to breath normally, and move their arms and legs to help stay afloat. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Several killed as flash floods sweep away dozens of people in Pakistan
Flash floods have killed at least nine people in northern Pakistan after pre-monsoon rains swept away dozens of individuals. District administrator Shehzad Mahboob said on Friday that the nine people who were killed were from one extended family of 16 who were visiting the area and having a picnic breakfast by the Swat River, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Mahboob explained that children from the family were in the water taking photos when the flood occurred, relatives rushed in to save them, but were trapped in the deluge, which was exacerbated by the monsoon rains. Nine bodies had been recovered, with four members of the family still missing, while another four were rescued, Mahboob said. Earlier on Friday, Shah Fahad, a spokesperson for the provincial emergency service, said nearly 100 rescuers in various groups rescued 58 people and were looking for the tourists who had been swept away. Fahad called on the public to strictly adhere to earlier government warnings about a possible flash flood in the Swat River, a popular destination for tourists in the summer and Minister Shehbaz Sharif 'expressed his grief over the tourists' deaths', a statement from his office said. Sharif added that he had called on authorities to strengthen safety measures near rivers and streams. Meanwhile, according to rescue officials, at least 10 people were killed in rain-related incidents in eastern Punjab and southern Sindh provinces over the past 24 hours. Since the beginning of the week, heavy rains have battered parts of Pakistan, including blocking highways and damaging homes. According to weather forecasters, rains are expected to continue this week as the country's annual monsoon season, which runs from July through September, begins. However, weather forecasters are predicting less rain to fall in Pakistan during the monsoon season this year compared with 2022, when the intense rainfall flooded rivers, killing 1,739 people.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Little Boy, 3, Unconscious After Falling 24 Feet into Zoo Enclosure. Seconds Later, Female Gorilla Picked Him Up
Binti Jua became a hero when she rescued a 3-year-old boy who fell into her gorilla enclosure at the Brookfield Zoo outside of Chicago She safely scooped the boy up and delivered him to zookeepers, who were waiting at the door to her habitat Binti Jua is still alive today, greeting visitors at the Brookfield ZooIt's been nearly three decades since the world's hairiest hero burst into public consciousness. In 1996, a 3-year-old boy tumbled 24 feet into a gorilla enclosure after sliding through a barrier at a Chicago-area zoo. What happened next was as surprising as it was endearing. Video from the Brookfield Zoo's Western Lowland Gorilla Pit showed a then-8-year-old gorilla named Binti Jua making her way to the unconscious tot. Onlookers feared the worst, wondering what the 160-lb. great ape would do to the tiny intruder. Binti Jua, who had her own 17-month-old baby clinging to her back, stunned everyone as she carefully picked the lifeless boy up around his waist, cradled him in her arms and carried him to a service door where zoo officials awaited. Upon gingerly putting the child down, she scurried away, Sondra Catzen, a zoo spokeswoman, told the Chicago Tribune in 1996. At the time of the incident, six other gorillas were in the exhibit, and zookeepers used a hose to keep them at bay. The incident garnered international headlines and has been discussed ever since, particularly 20 years later at a Cincinnati Zoo, when another child fell into a gorilla enclosure — that time, though, things took a much darker turn, as zoo officials shot and killed the 450-lb. gorilla named Harambe, who was seen dragging the child. Whereas Harambe was male, Binti Jua was female, which could have factored into the differing results. In the year that followed, many attributed Binti Jua's actions to her 'motherly instinct.' "She was somewhat protective, too. Part of the video, she takes the child and sort of turns a shoulder to the other gorillas," zoo worker Jay Peterson told CBS News in 2011. In addition, zookeepers noted that Binti Jua, whose name means "daughter of sunshine' in Swahili, was born in captivity and raised by humans, so seeing the person in her midst wasn't completely foreign. The boy, who's never been publicly named, spent four days in the hospital, but only suffered a broken hand and facial cuts. In the wake of the five-minute incident, Binti Jua became an ever greater attraction at the zoo and was showered with gifts and letters from around the world. The Chicago Tribune reported that several people offered money to adopt Binti Jua, and an Illinois grocer gifted her 25 lbs. of bananas as a means of thanks. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Binti Jua, who arrived at the Brookfield Zoo in 1991 on a breeding loan from the San Francisco Zoo, still lives in Brookfield's gorilla exhibit. In March, she celebrated her 37th birthday. According to National Geographic, Western Lowland gorillas typically live to 35 years old in the wild, but usually live longer under human care. They are listed as a 'critically endangered species.' The World Wildlife Fund reports that the gorilla's numbers have declined by more than 60% over the last 20 to 25 years due to poaching and disease. Read the original article on People
Malay Mail
6 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Sixteen-year-old angler drowns in Besut trying to retrieve snagged hook
KUALA LUMPUR, June 28 — A 16-year-old boy drowned while fishing in the river at Kampung Amer in Besut, Terengganu last night. Senior Operations Commander of the Terengganu Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM), Deputy Fire Superintendent II Baharum Muhamad Hasim told Berita Harian the victim, Muhammad Amin Asyraf Zulkifli, had been fishing with his brother and a friend earlier that evening. 'They were initially fishing from the riverbank when the victim's hook became snagged in the river. 'He swam across in an attempt to retrieve it but went under while crossing and failed to resurface,' he said when met at the scene last night. Baharum said the victim's body was found about three hours later at a depth of approximately eight metres. 'The search and rescue operation, which involved 41 personnel from the Fire Department, police, and local residents, concluded at 10pm. 'The victim's body was handed over to the police for further action,' he added. According to the national daily, the victim's father, Zulkifli Latif, said his son was familiar with the fishing spot and had drowned trying to retrieve the hook. 'He tried to cross the river, thinking the water wasn't too deep,' he reportedly said.
Al Jazeera
10 hours ago
- Climate
- Al Jazeera
Several killed as flash floods sweep away dozens of people in Pakistan
Flash floods have killed at least nine people in northern Pakistan after pre-monsoon rains swept away dozens of individuals. District administrator Shehzad Mahboob said on Friday that the nine people who were killed were from one extended family of 16 who were visiting the area and having a picnic breakfast by the Swat River, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Mahboob explained that children from the family were in the water taking photos when the flood occurred, relatives rushed in to save them, but were trapped in the deluge, which was exacerbated by the monsoon rains. Nine bodies had been recovered, with four members of the family still missing, while another four were rescued, Mahboob said. Earlier on Friday, Shah Fahad, a spokesperson for the provincial emergency service, said nearly 100 rescuers in various groups rescued 58 people and were looking for the tourists who had been swept away. Fahad called on the public to strictly adhere to earlier government warnings about a possible flash flood in the Swat River, a popular destination for tourists in the summer and winter. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif 'expressed his grief over the tourists' deaths', a statement from his office said. Sharif added that he had called on authorities to strengthen safety measures near rivers and streams. Meanwhile, according to rescue officials, at least 10 people were killed in rain-related incidents in eastern Punjab and southern Sindh provinces over the past 24 hours. Since the beginning of the week, heavy rains have battered parts of Pakistan, including blocking highways and damaging homes. According to weather forecasters, rains are expected to continue this week as the country's annual monsoon season, which runs from July through September, begins. However, weather forecasters are predicting less rain to fall in Pakistan during the monsoon season this year compared with 2022, when the intense rainfall flooded rivers, killing 1,739 people.
