Three walkers and two dogs in Lancashire ‘nearly lost their lives’ after using a tidal app.
The group had used to the app to check tide levels in Silverdale on Sunday but their location was mistaken for Silverdale, Washington.
The trio got stuck in waist-deep ‘fast moving’ water whilst out walking on Sunday after being misled about the water levels.
Cumbria-based team Bay Search and Rescue (BSAR) had to rescue them from a ‘huge, fast moving’ 10m tide, deploying a ‘lightning fast jet ski’, as well as the Coastguard and RNLI.
The group were treated for hypothermia and shock by BSAR medics where they spent ‘considerable time warming up and drying out’, before being handed over to the the Cumbria ambulance service.
When the trio were questioned, BSAR soon discovered that the groups longitude and latitude inputted to the app were mistaken.
‘By then it was too late,’ BSAR said.
They added that more signs will be placed along the coastline and some with QR codes to that walkers can correctly identify the tide times.
Three walkers and two dogs in Lancashire ‘nearly lost their lives’ after using a tidal app
The group were treated for hypothermia and shock by BSAR medics where they spent ‘considerable time warming up and drying out’
Cumbria-based team Bay Search and Rescue had to rescue them from a ‘huge, fast moving’ 10m tide, deploying a ‘lightning fast jet ski’
The BSAR were called out for another emergency where a walker with three dogs was needed to be rescued with an inflated air pathway
BSAR said more signs would be put up in the area with links to the correct tidal times
It was the second rescue of the weekend for BSAR, after a walker with three dogs were cute off by Tide Sandside.
They said that the ‘casualty had slightly miss judged the swollen gullies as the tide reached its maximum height and sensibly didn’t risk jumping it with her dogs in tow’.
They inflated their air paths and positioned them ‘across the deep gully making a safe walkway for the casualty and the three dogs to make their way back’.
‘No dramas job done’, they added.
The walkers got trapped in the same area where 23 Chinese people, aged 18 to 45, tragically died in 2004 when they were caught in a rising tide while collecting cockles.
Panicked cocklepicker Guo Binglong shouted ‘sinking water, sinking water,’ in a 999 call until the phone went dead.
He was later found dead in a huge search and rescue operation.
The untrained and inexperienced cocklepickers were all illegal immigrants and were working for a criminal gang.
In 2004, 23 Chinese people tragically died when they were caught in a rising tide while collecting cockles
The jury went to visit Morecambe Bay where the tragedy unfolded and learn how the area is a ‘dangerous place’
Chinese gangmaster Lin Liang Ren was jailed for 14 year at Preston Crown Court in 2006 for the manslaughter of 21 people
A family found a skull last year in the bay which police were ‘keeping an open mind’ about with its relationship to the disaster
Gangmaster Lin Liang Ren was found guilty of their manslaughter in March 2006 and handed a 14-year sentence before being deported to China in September 2012.
His girlfriend, Zhao Xiao Qing and his cousin, Lin Mu Yong, were also convicted of immigration offences.
A skull was found last year amongst rocks by a family, with Lancashire police saying they were ‘keeping an open mind’ about its relation to the victims after one body is still missing.
In 2010, another skull was found, confirmed to be Liu Qin Ying – a mother whose husband Yu Hua Xu drowned in the tides.
Their son was left an orphan in China after the tragedy.
Responding to BSAR’s post on Facebook, Charlie Drake said the gulley running the length of the beach is ‘4/5 ft deeper than the sands beyond’.
‘People walk out on the sands and the incoming tide rushes in behind them.
He added: ‘This happens so quickly and catches people out who are out on the sands and because it’s below eye level it is not noticed until the tide has circled behind you and then deepens, quickly trapping folk out there.
‘Add to it the quick sand and it’s probably one of the most dangerous places round our coastline.’
Paul Henri, who said he saw the group struggling, was impressed at BSAR’s recovery time, commenting: ‘Have to say you were very quick in responding’.
