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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
National
David Coleman

Heroic coastguards reunite mum with missing little girl after she went missing on Irish beach

Heroic coastguards reunited a mum with her missing little girl after she went missing at a popular swimming spot.

There was panic on Portmarnock Beach in Dublin on Friday after the two became separated.

Quick thinking lifeguards at the popular bathing spot called for the Irish Coast Guard immediately.

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A search operation involving cars, boats and a helicopter was then launched.

Thankfully the child, who was found safe and well, was reunited with her mother. They shared a warm embrace in front of relieved bathers who clapped and cheered.

One witness took to Twitter to praise the heroics of the emergency responders.

Bernadette Ferguson said: "Well done lifeguards at Portmarnock beach today! They got the Irish Coast Guard out very quickly for a missing child.

"Patrol cars, boats and helicopters out and it was all a bit anxious for a while and finally the child was reunited with her mother. Big applause from many.

"All while dealing with another issue of a minor injury. Man had injured his arm.

"Also fair play to the mother who kept incredibly calm.

"There were plenty of tears and hugs when the child stepped out of the patrol car. Made the applause from everyone very emotional."

The Irish Coast Guard said: "Fingal County Council lifeguards are doing a great job on very busy beaches this summer. A very welcome part of our first responder family."

The incident comes a day after four tourists were rescued by the Irish Coast Guard when they got into difficulty off the Dublin coast.

They got trapped on a sandbank near Portmarnock with a paddleboarder alerting the emergency services. The swimmers were stuck on the bank with a quickly rising tide.

They had been swimming to a sand bar, but it had quickly started to disappear. The paddleboarder heroically rescued one of the people, with the Coast Guard bringing the other three tourists to safety.

The sand bar had completely disappeared just 10 minutes after the rescue, with the Coast Guard urging people to be on high alert this weekend.

They said: "Our key message this weekend is if you do see someone who, even if you are only slightly concerned about their safety on the coast, call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coast Guard."

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