Woman dies and man is left fighting for his life after they got into difficulty in the sea ‘while trying to rescue pet dog’
A woman who went into the sea to save her pet dog died, while a man is fighting for his life.
Emergency services rushed to Thornton Cleveleys in Lancashire at around 8.31pm last night after reports of two people in distress in the water.
They were pulled from the sea by the coastguard near Fleetwood Beach Café before being handed over to paramedics.
Police said the man and woman, both in their 60s, were treated at the scene.
Tragically, the woman was pronounced dead in hospital, while the man remains in critical condition. The dog ‘made a safe and healthy recovery’.
Police said: ‘Shortly after 8.31pm yesterday evening we were contacted by the ambulance service to advise that they were treating two people rescued from the sea at Thornton Cleveleys by HM Coastguard.
‘Our officers attended the scene near Fleetwood Beach Cafe.’
“Meanwhile, we understand that a man and a woman were in a difficult situation after entering the water to save their stranded dog.
A woman has died and a man is in a critical condition in Thornton Cleveleys, Lancashire
‘They were treated at the scene but unfortunately the woman, in her 60s, was pronounced dead in hospital. The investigation is ongoing to identify his relatives.
‘The man, aged in his 60s, was taken to hospital and remains in a critical condition.
‘The dog was rescued safe and sound.’
Officers also confirmed there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the woman’s death. A file will be prepared for the coroner.
The incident has sparked renewed reminders about the dangers of entering open water, especially in emergency situations when conditions can quickly become unpredictable and dangerous even for strong swimmers.
A 19-year-old man pulled from a lake in Nottinghamshire on Thursday became the 15th person to die in the water during a record-breaking heatwave in recent weeks.
Emergency services were called to Lake Balderton, in New Balderton, Nottinghamshire, at around 2.35pm on Thursday after a teenager was seen struggling in the water.
The 19-year-old young man, who was in the lake with his friends, was rescued and treated at the scene before being taken to the hospital.
But on Saturday Nottinghamshire Police confirmed the teenager did not survive.
Meanwhile, an unnamed man in his 40s was found in the River Yare near the village of Surlingham in Norfolk on Saturday afternoon.
It had not been seen since Friday, prompting a massive search operation involving fire brigade, ambulance, air ambulance, coast guard personnel and other search parties.
The latest deaths occurred during the May heatwave, when temperatures rose to 35°C in some parts of the UK.
The latest deaths came when 15-year-old Chiedza Nyanjowa, from Cheshire, died in hospital on Saturday after getting into trouble at sea on Merseyside on Monday bank holiday.
Junior Slater, 12, and Declan Sawyer, 15, died while swimming in open water during this month’s heatwave.
Picture: Charlie Noble, 16, who died at Bracklinn Falls near the Scottish town of Callander in Stirling
A 15-year-old girl also died in hospital on Saturday after getting into trouble at sea off Merseyside on a public holiday on Monday.
Merseyside Police said Chiedza Nyanjowa, from Cheshire, was taken to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital after swimming at Formby beach.
The hot weather has attracted large numbers of people to open water swimming, resulting in several deaths in South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Cornwall, Hampshire, Warwickshire, Cheshire, Pembrokeshire, Lincolnshire and Lancashire in recent days.
On Friday, Police Scotland named a 16-year-old teenager who died after getting into trouble in the water in Stirlingshire as Charlie Noble, while on Wednesday the body of 14-year-old Baltazar L’Qui was found in the River Thames.
Other tragic deaths include 12-year-old Junior Slater, who died after becoming stranded on the River Ribble in Lancashire on Tuesday.
The body of a young boy who went missing while swimming has also been found in a lake near Blackwater in Hampshire. Official identification has not yet taken place, but his family has been informed.
Two boys were found dead on Tuesday, including David Junior-Tita, 17, from Crewe, who died at Pickmere Lake in Northwich, Cheshire.
Meanwhile, 16-year-old Muhammad Secka died after going swimming at Rother Valley Country Park in South Yorkshire.
There were four more deaths as temperatures reached 34.8C in Kew Gardens on Monday, breaking the record for the hottest May day ever.
Among them was 13-year-old Reco Puttock, who was pronounced dead after being found at Leadbeater Dam in Halifax, West Yorkshire.
The same day, 16-year-old Lillianna Tomlinson was found dead at Kingsbury Water Park in Warwickshire.
Heroic grandfather Phil Crow (68) died of a heart attack while running into the sea to save his wife and grandson who were in distress at Tregirls Beach in Padstow, Cornwall.
On Sunday, an unnamed 72-year-old woman died at West Angle Beach in Pembrokeshire, while 15-year-old Declan Sawyer died after getting into trouble at Swanholme Lakes.
An unnamed child was also pulled from the water in Swanscombe, Kent.
