A teenage girl is still missing and her mother and a Good Samaritan who tried to rescue them both have been confirmed dead aftr Friday’s incident
A teenage girl who was swept away by stormy seas on Friday (January 2) was ‘wave watching’ when tragedy stuck, witnesses have said.
The unnamed 15-year-old girl, who is still missing, is said to have descended concrete steps in Withernsea, East Yorkshire. Seconds earlier, she had been standing at the summit of the steps alongside her mother.
Her mum had momentarily moved away with the family dog, which was on a lead. Upon hearing desperate cries for assistance, she raced back to aid her daughter and pursued her as she was dragged along the shoreline, wading into the water and coming within inches of grasping her from the beach.
Sadly, conditions proved too severe. Both the mother and a good Samaritan who had stepped in to help were dragged out to sea.
Mark Ratcliffe, 67, courageously battled terrifying 12ft waves after hearing the 15-year-old girl’s desperate cries for assistance. He rushed to help alongside her mother as she had already entered the water.
Reports suggest both adults came tantalizingly close to rescuing the teenager. However, the pair were tragically overwhelmed by the dreadful conditions.
Mr Ratcliffe being dragged from the water unconscious and declared dead at the scene around 10pm – approximately seven hours after the girl was struck by a wave, reports the Mirror.
Emergency responders are also said to have come agonisingly close to reaching the teenager, with lifeboat crews plunging into the ocean despite three-metre waves after spotting her.
The rescuers abandoned their small orange vessel upon sighting the girl, but tragically couldn’t reach her before she was carried further out in the dreadful conditions.
Based on CCTV footage witnessed by Paul Whitehead, 60, proprietor of Castle Cafe on the promenade, he described it as a ‘tragic accident’.
Discussing the footage, which he has presented to police, he explained: “You can see the daughter at the top of the ‘towers’.
“At first she’s watching the waves with her mum. At first they are watching it together at the top of the steps with the waves crashing.
“But then she (the teen) must have felt it was fun to go down the steps, just chasing the waves, like a lot of youngsters do in Withernsea.
“Her mum stepped away as she had the dog with her. The dog was on a lead. It was just for 30 seconds. That’s all it took.
“There were people on the towers who heard the daughter, so the mum comes running back and has to go to the right of the towers as by now her daughter is in the water and had been taken further down the beach.
“About 100 metres away there’s a slipway and she went down the bottom and tried to retrieve her. But like most terrible accidents it can take seconds.”
The café owner explained that the mother and a staff member were knee-deep in the water after departing the beach, as she had been quite close to the shoreline. However, tragically the mum was unable to reach her child, and she too was swept away.
“The mum’s actions were instinctive. She was inches away from her daughter, I’m told.
“I’m a dad and you would not hesitate. It’s a tragic accident and the mum’s actions afterwards are completely understandable when you see a young girl in distress to want to help regardless of the potential danger. “.
The teenager’s mother, aged 45, was also retrieved hours afterwards when she was discovered amongst sea defences 100ft from her last known location.
Search efforts for the teen were abandoned on Saturday, though renewed activity was observed on the beach Sunday afternoon with the area subsequently cordoned off. Police were contacted for further information.
Onlookers who had gathered to observe noted the search appeared focused near rocky areas typically only visible during low tide, which occurred just after midday on Sunday (January 4).
In a heartfelt tribute to ‘selfless hero’ Mark Ratcliffe, his family said: “A true selfless hero with a heart of gold, who was so cruelly taken trying to save others.
“So many lives are now shattered that you’re gone. You were loved by so many people, and we will all miss you forever.
“A loving husband, father, son, brother and the best grandad anybody could ever wish for. Sleep tight, we love you, we miss you.”
