 A Sea King from HMS Gannet was scrambled to the beach/Pic: Brian Jones |
A seven-year-old boy and his mother have been rescued by helicopter after being swept out to sea. The boy was dragged out in rough weather while playing on the beach at North Berwick, East Lothian, on Monday.
His mother, 42, waded after him into the water but she was also overpowered by large waves.
Emergency services received a call at 1345 BST. A helicopter was scrambled from Prestwick, and North Berwick lifeboat and coastguards were sent out.
It is understood that the mother and son, who are from Dunblane, were on holiday.
They were picked up by helicopter and taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary for treatment. Their condition is unknown.
When they were found, the boy was in shock, and the mother had swallowed a lot of water, Forth Coastguard said.
Tim Clark from the Forth Coastguard said: "There can be quite a swell in that area.
"There were big waves and strong undercurrents. The young lad was bowled over.
"They were in quite a lot of danger. If you have swallowed a lot of water, that is an extremely dangerous situation to get into."
Boy shivering
He added: "Families should be careful, especially when there are big waves. Even during summer, it can be dangerous."
Tim Wilson, from the North Berwick Inshore Lifeboat, said: "The little boy and his mother were shivering from having been in the cold water and had taken in salt water.
"We kept them warm with blankets until the helicopter came. They were taken to hospital because when people have ingested salt water there can be an effect where secondary drowning can occur.
"This is where the salt causes a chemical reaction in the lungs days afterwards, so we sent them to hospital for checks."
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The young lad was bowled over. They were in quite a lot of danger
