Get you up to speed: Mother and daughter become waist-deep in quicksand on Essex beach | News UK
QUICKSAND RESCUE
Four staff members from Adventure Island rescued a mother and daughter trapped in quicksand at Three Shells Lagoon, Southend, while the Coastguard was notified.
Southend Council announced it will enhance safety measures at the Three Shells Lagoon after officials confirmed awareness of the recent quicksand incident involving a mother and daughter.
Southend Council will maintain signs cautioning against deep wet sand and assess the lagoon for further safety measures after confirming no injuries occurred.
What we know so far
A mother and daughter were rescued after becoming trapped in wet sand at the Three Shells Lagoon in Southend, Essex, on Tuesday evening. CCTV footage captured the moment the young girl sank into the sand around 5:20 pm, just as the tide was coming in.
The girl’s mother attempted to free her but found herself stuck as well. Lorry driver Adrian Pikula, who was walking nearby, heard the girl crying and alerted staff at the nearby Adventure Island amusement park. Four staff members quickly arrived with a rope to help the pair out of the quicksand.
With timely action, the rescuers used their training to pull the woman and girl free while another staff member contacted the Coastguard. Adventure Island praised their team for acting “quickly and calmly” during the incident.
The lagoon is now fenced off, with warning signs about the “deep wet sand” installed by the council. Officials confirmed they are aware of the incident, stating that no injuries were reported and that they will assess the site following low-tide inspections.
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Mum and daughter sink waist-deep into quicksand on Essex beach | News UK
A mum and daughter had to be saved after they sank waist-deep into wet sand on the Essex coast.
CCTV captured the moment the unidentified youngster was playing in the sand near the Three Shells Lagoon, in Southend, on Tuesday.
But the girl suddenly stumbled and sank into the sand at about 5.20pm, just as the tide was coming in.
Her mum tried to pull out her daughter, only to become trapped herself in the pocket of quicksand.
Lorry driver Adrian Pikula, 36, told the BBC that he heard the youngster ‘crying’ while he was walking his own daughter along Western Esplanade.
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Adrian, 36, said: ‘[The woman] was very deep – probably about half of her body was in the mud. Of course, there was lots of drama.’
He alerted staff at the nearby Adventure Island amusement park, with four staff members racing to the quicksand.
The ‘heroes’ used a rope from the park’s workshop to tug the pair free, Adventure Island said in a Facebook post.
‘Drawing on their training and expertise, the team acted quickly and calmly to rescue them, while another member of the workshop team contacted the Coastguard,’ the post said.
‘Thankfully, this happened while our team were still on site at the end of the day, allowing staff to spot the situation and step in when it mattered most.
‘A huge well done to our team who jumped straight into action and safely rescued them.
‘We hope the mother and daughter are both safe and well after the incident.’
What is quicksand?
Quicksand may sound like the stuff of cartoons and movies, but it’s very much real.
Sinking sand is a mixture of sand and water or sand and air held together by a gel made of clay and salt, making it gloopy.
The water cannot escape from the loosely packed sand, with salt and clay grains acting as a fragile glue holding it all together.
When someone stands on it, the gel turns into liquid, so it can’t support the weight of the person.
Quicksand has a wet, bubbly or smooth surface. The trick is not to panic if you fall in – avoid sudden movements and shift your body back as if you were sitting in a recliner.
Doing so reduces downward pressure, so you essentially ‘float’ on the soupy sand.
The force needed to pull out a person trapped in sinking sand is about the same as the force needed to lift a car.
The lagoon is now fenced off with signs warning people of the ‘deep wet sand’, thought to have been provided by the council.
The council said that officials are ‘aware’ of the incident.
It added: ‘No injuries were reported and we will keep the signage on site advising caution due to deep, wet sand until we are confident that the lagoon is safe.
‘We will consider any other urgent measures which may be necessary following the next low-tide inspection.’