A bystander has described how he nearly drowned while attempting to rescue one of two people who died after falling from rocks at Fistral Beach in Newquay, Cornwall, on Sunday evening, July 26.
Multiple bystanders and emergency services tried to save the pair – a woman in her 30s and a man in his 60s, believed to be daughter and father – but both lost their lives. The beach, famous as the home of British surfing, was the scene of a major rescue operation involving nine emergency vehicles, at least two lifeboats and a helicopter.
Bystander jumps in fully clothed
Jamie Stockwell, 47, was among those who jumped into the sea fully clothed. 'I jumped in with all my clothes on. I didn't realise how deep it was. It was very powerful swell, and I was lucky I wasn't another casualty,' he told the Sun.
Stockwell said the woman was being battered against the rocks by the powerful swell when he leapt in. 'We were being hurled on to the rocks. I managed to push her up and her boyfriend pulled her up by the arms and started to try to give her mouth-to-mouth. She had swallowed loads of salt water. We tried to give her CPR for about ten minutes. I was trying to keep her partner calm as he was in pieces.'
Father pulled from water
The woman's father was dragged from the water not far from where Stockwell had hauled the woman onto the sand. The man, in his 60s, received CPR at the scene but also died. The pair were part of a family holidaying in Cornwall.
Witness describes frantic efforts
A local beach artist, Sand Phoenix, 33, said he 'sprinted' to help, jabbing the man with an adrenaline pen and attempting to administer oxygen. His efforts proved futile as the victim's lungs were 'full of water'. Phoenix, who was sleeping on the beach at the time, said: 'He had been pulled out of the water but had been in there about seven minutes. The paramedics arrived and carried on trying to give CPR. He was still wearing his trousers so I don't think he had been swimming. It looks like they had been walking near the rocks and had fallen in.'
Another witness told the Sun: 'A woman was desperately trying to ring someone but couldn't get through [and] was in tears. There was a helicopter overhead and there was a lifeboat in the water. They recovered one body on the beach, while the other one was brought up the cliff. Another man came up soaking wet and in a foil blanket. He knew them and had been trying to help. I'm just in shock, it was awful to watch.'
Police appeal for handbag
After confirming the deaths, police appealed to the public to look out for a 'leather-style' handbag measuring about 30cm by 30cm that the woman had been carrying. The bag, described as 'orange or peach in colour', is believed to contain cherished belongings that bereaved relatives 'would take great comfort in being reunited with,' police said in a statement.
