Dramatic moment coastguard helicopter rescues two young boys

Footage of a coastguard helicopter rescue of two boys in the ‘nick of time’ clinging to a rock in the sea at Hopeman East Beach.

Two young boys, aged 11 and 14, who were clinging to a rock in the sea at Hopeman East Beach near Elgin have been winched to safety in the nick of time by HM Coastguard’s search and rescue helicopter from Inverness.

A concerned member of the public rang 999 just after 5.45pm on 6 June to say there was one person in the water and one on the rocks in difficulty. HM Coastguard coordinated the rescue operation which also involved Burghead coastguard rescue team and Buckie lifeboat along with Moray inshore rescue organisation.

It is believed one of the children got into difficulty whilst swimming in the sea and made his way to the rocks. His friend swam out to help him and stayed with him on the rocks as the tide quickly started to rise. Once on scene, it took the precision and skill of the Inverness coastguard helicopter just under 3 minutes to swoop in and rescue the two children, taking them to the nearby beach.

Speaking after the incident Kaimes Beasley, duty controller for HM Coastguard, said: “This incident could easily have turned into a really tragic one. One of the boys had already been washed off the rocks once and thankfully managed to clamber back on. We think that it only would have taken another 15 minutes for the rock to be fully covered by the rising sea and the boys would have been in the water.

“Remember, if you see someone in trouble at sea or along the coast call 999 and ask for the coastguard. Thankfully, this rescue ended well and the boys were reunited with their families safe and well, despite their frightening ordeal.”