Coastguards in Wales have urged seaside holidaymakers to take care with toy inflatables after the death of a five-year-old boy in Pembrokeshire.

Investigations continued on Sunday following the tragedy in Saundersfoot, near Tenby, in which a child died after jumping out of an inflatable dinghy which had drifted out to sea.

This is a really sad thing to happen on the first day of a bank holiday - it was just a tragic accident

Coastguard spokesman

The boy - who has not been named by police at the request of his parents - went on a trip to the popular beach resort with his family on Saturday.

A spokesman for Milford Haven Coastguard said a call was received just after 11.40 BST from a lifeguard at the beach, who reported that a boy had drifted a "few hundred yards" out to sea in a toy dinghy.

The boy's father tried to swim out to sea to rescue the dinghy, but was unable to reach it and so ran back up the beach to alert the lifeguard.

"Apparently the father had swum out to try and rescue the child who somehow had drifted away from him," the spokesman said.

"But he failed to reach him, and at some point he saw the child jump into the water."

The coastguard spokesman confirmed that the child had been seen jumping out of the dinghy, but then disappeared.

He said it was possible the boy had panicked.

Tenby Coastguard, police and ambulance crews, and a helicopter from RAF Chivenor in north Devon were immediately sent to the scene.

The boy, who had been in the water for around 10 minutes, was found after a brief search and brought ashore by the coastguard.

Airlifted

Paramedics tried but failed to resuscitate him on the beach.

The boy was airlifted to Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest, but was formally pronounced dead at 1300 BST.

"This is a really sad thing to happen on the first day of a bank holiday - it was just a tragic accident," the spokesman said.

Fiona Warren, spokeswoman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, said the boy's family were from the Herefordshire area, and had been on holiday in Saundersfoot.

Rescue bid

She said although the boy's parents were with him at the beach, he had taken the dinghy out to sea without their permission.

When the dinghy began drifting away from the shore, the boy's father tried unsuccessfully to swim out to reach him.

He then asked a couple in another dinghy to look out for him, while he swam back to shore to alert the lifeguard.

"It was a tragic and unfortunate accident," she said.

The coroner has been informed.