Two off-duty nurses have been praised for saving five children from the sea on Sunday night. The siblings—four girls and a boy—were cut off by the rising tide near Minerstown, with the women “ignoring their own safety” and “bravely” wading into the water to bring them back to safety. At least one of the children, it is understood, spent the night in the Ulster Hospital, with the others discharged some hours later.
Sinead Deane and Veronica Sloan were praised for their “remarkable bravery and fortitude in a rapidly deteriorating situation,” with dozens of comments posted online saying the women should receive awards for their heroics.
Once news emerged of the incident, a spokesman for Newcastle Coastguard team, who were the first emergency responders on scene, said had it not been for the pair’s courageous actions it could have been a very different outcome.
The rescue swung into operation just before 9.30pm, when the women spotted the children’s lives were at risk. Once the Newcastle team’s initial responders arrived at the scene, they discovered the children had already been brought ashore by the nurses.
The spokesman continued: “Newcastle Coastguard team would like to pay tribute to the two off-duty nurses who waded into the water to rescue the children. They showed remarkable bravery and fortitude in a rapidly deteriorating situation to calmly bring the three youngest children to shore before wading out up to their chests in water to rescue the two oldest children.”
The team member added that the women cared for the children right up until ambulance crews took them to hospital. “They displayed outstanding courage, ignoring their own safety to ensure the children were not only brought ashore but cared for until the arrival of the emergency services,” he added.
Yesterday, the women revealed they had been attending a family event nearby when they decided to go for a quick dip at the local beach, and then spotted the children were in difficulty.
In the full story read how the situation developed dramatically.
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