| Kiteboarders injured in a Welsh beach |
| Thursday, 06 March 2008 00:00 |
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Two injured kiteboarders were airlifted from Aberavon Beach at the weekend. The pair were rescued on Saturday after separate incidents within minutes of each other. In the first incident, a teenager from Cardiff University received facial and arm injuries after his kite was blown into the promenade at the western end of the beach, throwing him head first onto the rocks. The second incident saw a man blown 20ft into the air. A Port Talbot Coastguard spokesman said: “Luckily the casualties in both incidents were wearing protective equipment, or the outcome may have been a lot different. “In the first incident, the teenager received treatment by paramedics before being flown to Morriston Hospital. “A short time later the coastguard was again alerted by air ambulance to another incident. “A Jordanian male, also kiteboarding, had been blown 20ft into the air before coming down onto his back. A passing fireman had altered the emergency services and was giving first aid when the crews arrived. After treatment at the scene, he too, was flown to Morriston Hospital." “This was another example of how the different services work so well together – with the vital information and co-ordination of the operation room staff at Maritime Rescue Co-ordinate Centre Swansea, the coastguard team on the ground assisting paramedics and the professional skills of the air ambulance, which is funded by donations from the public.” Source: Port Talbot Guardian |
