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Woman among 19 rescued from beach says she feels 'pure shame' | |
(about 7 hours later) | |
The RNLI and fire service warned people of the dangers of the mud on Weston-super-Mare's beach | The RNLI and fire service warned people of the dangers of the mud on Weston-super-Mare's beach |
A woman who was rescued by the RNLI after becoming stuck in sinking mud flats says she was blissfully unaware she was "in any sort of danger". | |
Nineteen people were rescued by emergency services on the shoreline of Weston-super-Mare in north Somerset, on the hottest weekend of the year so far. | |
Avon Fire and Rescue Service said it used its hovercraft and called on RNLI for support. Everyone was rescued safely and no injuries were reported. | |
Tammy Facey, who was visiting the seaside from Birmingham, told the BBC: "It was the most confusing thing, we just had no awareness of the risks." | |
The sinking mud appears on the shoreline at low tide, when fine sediment mixes with water to create a liquefied soil that loses its ability to support weight when disturbed. | |
The RNLI's lifeboat crews were called to six mud flat rescues on Sunday | |
Ms Lacey and her nephew had been wading out to meet the tide in an attempt to cool down, but soon realised their efforts were futile. | |
"It was up to my knees, up to my thighs," she said, describing the sand beneath them as a "muddy bog". | |
"We were absolutely exhausted and very confused because we thought, 'why are there no [warning] signs?' | |
"I just realised it would be too tiring for us to swim any further. I thought this is really stupid, we need help," she said. | |
She added that she felt "pure shame and horror" about having to rescued by the "kind volunteers", who risk their lives to save others. | |
Ms Lacey said she could not be more grateful to the crews who came to rescue her | |
She added that she could not be "more grateful" to the RNLI. | |
The Weston-super-Mare Lifeboats RNLI Facebook page shared another of the accounts from a person rescued. | |
"We waded through thigh deep mud for an hour and half to reach the sea," they said. | |
"We got to the sea and even though I was sinking, I was thrilled the tide was coming in as I thought I could cool down and swim. | |
"I genuinely was not aware of the danger, it didn't even occur to me to call 999. I feel incredibly stupid. | "I genuinely was not aware of the danger, it didn't even occur to me to call 999. I feel incredibly stupid. |
"I can't thank the RNLI enough. I think it's really important to raise awareness." | |
In a statement, the RNLI at Weston-super-Mare said: "If you see anyone walking to the shoreline and towards the mud, please warn them of the dangers, you could save a life." | |
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