Mum dies after ‘jumping into sea to rescue son and his friend’
A mum is said to have drowned in front of her son after leaping in to the sea to rescue him and a friend when they got into trouble on a kayak.
The woman, who has been named locally as Danni and being in her 30s, was pulled out of the water after getting trapped by the strong current at Waxham beach in Norfolk.
Beachgoers tried to resuscitate her before paramedics arrived at the scene. She was rushed to hospital but pronounced dead on arrival after the tragedy at 5.30pm yesterday.
Emergency services including Coastguard teams, ambulances, local paramedics and a rescue helicopter were scrambled after multiple calls were made to the HM coastguard.
The woman and her family are thought to have been staying on a local campsite next to the beach, which is notorious for having dangerous riptides which can sweep away unsuspecting swimmers.
The boys in the kayak were brought safely to shore by other tourists, hailed as heroes by onlookers.
One witness posted on Facebook: ‘I saw them having fun on the kayak and then saw them get in trouble so called the coastguard.
‘Two heroes went in and saved the boys, but she (the woman) also went in and was bought by someone called Finn with a surfboard. Absolute hero.
‘Two ladies were there also and they all started giving CPR with a coastguard. Then the paramedics took over for about an hour.’
The witness and another visitor cuddled the boys and other girls from the same group on the beach ‘for what seemed like an eternity.’
She added: ‘Poor lads were watching the whole thing and will be traumatised for life. I’m utterly devastated for them all and want to help as much as I can.
‘My friend who is a strong swimmer was in the exact same spot and managed to get out because she is a super strong swimmer.’
It comes just hours after the body of a swimmer was pulled from a water-filled quarry at Bawsey Country Park, near King’s Lynn, Norfolk.
Norfolk Police confirmed an investigation had been launched into the death at Waxham beach but said it was not being treated as suspicious.
Superintendent Jason Broome from Norfolk Police said: ‘A woman, aged in her 30s, was recovered from the water and she was sadly pronounced dead on arrival at hospital.
‘While enquiries are continuing to establish the exact circumstances leading up to the woman’s death, this is a tragic situation and our condolences are with her family.’
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