Coastguard rescues young person swept out to sea

The coastguard said the individual was transported to hospital for further investigation

A young person has been rescued after being swept out to sea off the west coast of Guernsey, coastguards say.

Guernsey Coastguard said staff received a call at about 18:30 BST on Monday of an individual in distress at the north end of Cobo Bay.

A multi-agency response was deployed, including the RNLI inshore Harold Hobbs lifeboat, the Channel Islands Air Search aircraft and an officer from the coastguard drone unit, the rescue service said.

Duty SAR [search and rescue] mission coordinator Mike Harris said the rescue was a "great example of not only the emergency services, but also members of the public, coming together".

Taken to hospital

The coastguard said a member of the public maintained a watch on the casualty until the drone was launched.

It said: "At approximately 19:00, the RNLI inshore lifeboat reached the scene and quickly located and recovered the young person from the water.

"The casualty was transported to the beach at Cobo, where they were assessed by an awaiting ambulance crew."

Coastguards said the individual was transported to hospital for further investigation due to concerns about potential seawater ingestion after spending more than 90 minutes in the water.

Mr Harris added: "Without the initial sighting made by the first informant, and the member of the public who kept watch on the casualty, this incident could have had a completely different outcome."