Lifeboat rescues girls swept out to sea on Scotland’s west coast

Two children were rescued by lifeboat after they were swept out to sea on a paddleboard.

The girls, aged 11 and 12, managed to steer onto an uninhabited island on Scotland’s west coast but were left stranded after getting into difficulty at about 3.45pm on Tuesday afternoon.

A coastguard helicopter located the children on the island near Arisaig, Inverness-shire, and a winchman was lowered down to check they were safe and well.

The Kyle RNLI inshore lifeboat, which had just arrived at the scene, then took the girls back to their parents on the mainland at Traigh.

The rescue came hours after the lifeboat towed a broken down vessel to safety after it lost power in the mouth of Loch Carron.

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Jonathon MacKinnon, helm for Kyle RNLI on the second callout, said: “Yesterday was a busy day for our crews.

“We were out in the morning to a broken down vessel, and then again less than five hours later to the paddleboarders.

“The two children had gotten a bit of a fright and their parents were relieved to get them back safe and sound.

“We have to thank our crews and their employers, who let them drop everything at a moment’s notice and respond when the pager sounds.”