Donate now

Port Talbot RNLI lifeboat tasked twice in a day

Lifeboats News Release

On two occasions children were reported missing on a crowded Aberavon beach Tuesday (25 July).

The lifeboat about to set off

RNLI/Mel Cooper

Launching The Lifeboat

The first call came at 1.21pm after the UK Coastguard received a call reporting a missing child somewhere on the beach. However the lifeboat was stood down almost immediately after the person was found by the RNLI lifeguards.

The second call came at 2.23pm after a report that a four-year-old boy was missing after wandering off from his parents.

The lifeboat was launched and searched along the shoreline whilst RNLI lifeguards searched the beach together with local Coastguard Rescue Team members and the police searching the promenade area.

The child was eventually found by the lifeguards at the western end of the beach around half a mile from his last known position. He was then reunited with his parents and was none the worse for his adventure. All services were then stood down and the lifeboat returned to station.

Notes to editors:

For more information please contact Mel Cooper, Port Talbot RNLI Lifeboat Press Officer, on 07814 985057 or Chris Cousens, RNLI Press Officer, Wales and West, on 07748 265496 or 01745 585162 or by email on [email protected].

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.

Learn more about the RNLI

For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, X, TikTok and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.

Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.

Categories