Teen pulled unconscious from sea at Carnoustie

The 13 year-old girl was rushed to Dundee’s Ninewells Hospital on Monday night after being plucked from the sea in a rescue operation involving an RNLI inshore lifeboat, a search and rescue helicopter from RAF Lossiemouth and the Coastguard.

The schoolgirl had been swept out to sea after going in for a swim in the icy waters off the beach at Carnoustie. She was unconscious when she was brought to the shore by the crew of the Arbroath-based inshore lifeboat. The girl had been in the sea for up to 35 minutes before she was rescued.

The alarm was raised at 8.30pm last night by people who had gathered at the Beach Park in the Angus town.

A spokesman for Forth Coastguard said the schoolgirl had got into difficulties after going into the sea “for a swim” despite the near-freezing temperatures,

He explained: “There was a bunch of people at the beach and this girl went in for a swim. The sea is very cold at this time of years and not advisable.

“She had gone in and gone beyond her depth and was taken out to sea. When our guys got there one of the lads tried to rescue her by going into the sea on a line but the line wasn’t quite long enough to reach her. The inshore lifeboat was then guided onto the position where the girl was. They picked her up out of the water. She was unconscious.

“She was given CPR before taken by an ambulance to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee.”

The girl is said to be in a critical condition in hospital.

A spokesman for the Tayside Division of Police Scotland said: “Around 8.30pm, Police Scotland Dundee received a call from the Coastguard stating they were attending a report of a 13 year old female in the water near to Beach Park in Carnoustie. The inshore lifeboat was launched from Arbroath and Police, Ambulance and Helicopter attended.

“The Lifeboat crew successfully retrieved a female from the water, and she is currently receiving medical treatment at Ninewells Hospital.”