Dramatic rescue footage released by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) captures the moment volunteer lifeboat crews pulled two young boys to safety after they became trapped beneath a pier as the tide rapidly surged around them.
The boys—12-year-old Kizza and his 10-year-old cousin, Subby—had been enjoying a family trip to Blackpool, England, on May 28 when rising water left them clinging to the pier's supports as waves crashed over their heads. Their 21-year-old cousin, Ted, also became stranded while trying to reach them, according to an RNLI news release.
What began as a celebration of Eid al-Adha quickly turned into what Subby's mother, Zully, would later describe as "a nightmare."
"The tide started to come in quickly, and I could see the boys in the distance. They were stuck, and the water was rising rapidly," she said in the RNLI news release.
As the water continued to rise, Zully tried to wade toward the boys herself before a wave knocked her sideways.
"Ted turned to me and said, 'Zully, get out. They're too far out.' I couldn't go back, as I knew if my son heard my voice, he'd hang on to the pier. I knew he'd cling on if he could hear my voice telling him not to let go, but by now the water was rising fast and I could see him going under."
The terrifying scene unfolded in front of helpless relatives.
"It didn't feel real. It was like I was in some kind of helpless dream—a nightmare," Zully said. “I could see my nephew hanging on, but I could see the fear in his eyes. I could see my boy submerged next to the poles of the pier. I scrambled along the pier and was shouting desperately to him, but I just couldn't get to him.”
Police eventually pulled Zully from the water, but the boys remained trapped beneath the pier.
"I was shouting at the top of my voice: 'We need the orange boat.' At this point the boys had been hanging on for 40 minutes. I could see the water going over his head and him gasping for air, but I was struggling to see if he'd come back up again."
After a member of the public called 999, the Coastguard requested Blackpool RNLI's volunteer lifeboat crews.
According to the RNLI, a D-class inshore lifeboat reached the scene within four minutes of launching. Volunteers maneuvered alongside the pier, pulled both boys aboard and rushed them to waiting paramedics on shore while a second RNLI lifeboat rescued Ted.
For Zully, seeing her son alive again felt almost impossible to believe.
"When I saw Subby coming in on that lifeboat and being carried away, it was like a miracle," she said. "I thought he'd gone. He survived because of these people, who are volunteers. It was like a dream come true."
The experience also changed the way she viewed the volunteer crews who came to her family's rescue.
"God bless these people who came. I can't comprehend the fact they are just normal people with jobs and their own family, but they'd risk that to save my family," she said.
"The crew were all living in that moment. They had no concern for all those people watching and everything going on around them. They went in there with a job to do. They don't get enough credit for what they do. Nothing mattered to those people in that boat but saving lives, and that's incredible."
The family chose to share its story ahead of World Drowning Prevention Day in the hope that other families might avoid experiencing the same ordeal.
"We are incredibly grateful to Zully and her family for their courage in speaking up about their experience to ensure others are mindful of the risks," Chris Cousens, RNLI water safety lead, said in the news release. "Nobody visits the coast expecting to get into difficulty. We're urging families to check the tide times before they go. If you can't understand the information on tide tables, ask people who know the area and pay attention to any safety signs."
Cousens also urged visitors to carry a fully charged mobile phone when heading to the coast and to call 999 and ask for the Coastguard if an emergency occurs. If caught in the water, he encouraged people to resist the instinct to panic and instead remember the RNLI's "Float to Live" advice: Tilt your head back with your ears submerged, relax and control your breathing, move your hands and feet to help you stay afloat, and remember that everybody floats differently. Once breathing is under control, people are better able to call for help or swim to safety.
Weeks after the rescue, Zully said the experience continues to stay with her.
"The sea can be evil. It doesn't care who you are. It just takes you," she said.
"I keep my son so close now. It's shaken us all. This happened to the people I love, and it could so easily happen to other families too. I have been reliving that moment and keep seeing the people in that orange boat and the marvelous care they gave, doing exactly what they are trained to do. They just want to save people for no reward, and that's just amazing."
Looking back, she said she still struggles to imagine what might have happened had the volunteers not arrived when they did.
"Without the RNLI, I would have lost him. My first boy. I'd have never forgiven myself. Not only that, I was the one in charge of the other children. I could never have carried the guilt of going on if it had been another outcome. The guilt would have eaten me. We didn't even know who these rescuers were before, but now I know they are volunteers and the RNLI is a charity. I'd urge people to support them. They do what they do without even thinking once about their own lives. What an incredible, selfless act."
(Courtesy of Royal National Lifeboat Institution)
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