‘I thought I'd lost him' - Mum's terror as son and nephew rescued from sea off Blackpool in horror incident

A mother has recalled the moment she feared her 10-year-old son had drowned after watching his head disappear beneath the waves during a terrifying incident off the coast of Blackpool.

Zully, a mum of four, said she desperately tried to wade into the sea to reach her son, Subby, and her 12-year-old nephew, Kizza, as they clung to the stanchions beneath South Pier for 40 minutes while being battered by crashing waves.

The boys were just seconds from drowning during the incident on 28 May, while Zully's 21-year-old nephew, Ted, a carer from Bradford, also found himself in danger after trying to reach them. He became stranded, clinging to the pier in his own desperate attempt to rescue the children.

“The tide started to come in quickly and I could see the boys in the distance, they were stuck,” said Zully, who had travelled to Blackpool from Leeds during May half-term for an impromptu trip to celebrate Eid al-Adha. “A wave whacked me and hit me on the side.

“Ted turned to me and said: ‘Zully, get out, they’re too far out’. I couldn’t go back, as I knew if my son heard my voice, he’d hang on to the pier. I knew he’d cling on if he could hear my voice telling him not to let go, but by now the water was rising fast and I could see him going under.

“It didn’t feel real, it was like I was in some kind of helpless dream – a nightmare. I could see my nephew hanging on, but I could see the fear in his eyes. I could see my boy submerged next to the poles of the pier.

“I scrambled along the pole and was shouting desperately to him, but I just couldn’t get to him. The police came and took me out of the water. I was screaming ‘I can’t get to him - that’s my son and my small nephew.’

“I could see the water going over his head and him gasping for air, but I was struggling to see if he’d come back up again.”

Coastguard rescue

A member of the public dialled 999, prompting HM Coastguard to request the launch of Blackpool RNLI's lifeboat. The volunteer crew were responding to their 11th call-out in just seven days.

The RNLI's D-class inshore lifeboat reached the scene within four minutes and immediately located Subby and Kizza. The crew skilfully manoeuvred the lifeboat alongside the pier stanchions before pulling both children safely onboard.

With Ted positioned higher up the pier supports and a second RNLI crew arriving aboard the Atlantic 85 lifeboat, the D-class crew made the decision to take the two children ashore to waiting paramedics near South Pier, while the Atlantic 85 completed Ted’s rescue.

‘A miracle’

Zully, who was not aware of the RNLI charity before the dramatic rescue, said: “God bless these people who came. I can’t comprehend the fact they are just normal people with jobs and their own family, but they’d risk that to save my family.

“The crew were all living in that moment, they had no concern for all those people watching and everything going on around them. They went in there with a job to do. They don’t get enough credit for what they do.

“Nothing mattered to those people in that boat but saving lives and that’s incredible. When I saw Subby coming in on that lifeboat and being carried away, it was like a miracle. I thought he’d gone. He survived because of these people who are volunteers.

“It was like a dream come true. I’m a single mum and I do my best for them. I was beating myself up thinking what more could I have done. I’d checked the tide but never expected things to happen so quickly.”

‘Without the RNLI, I would have lost him’

“The sea can be evil; it doesn’t care who you are, it just takes you,” said Zully. “I keep my son so close now, it’s shaken us all. This happened to the people I love and it could so easily happen to other families too.

“I have been reliving that moment and keep seeing the people in that orange boat and the marvellous care they gave doing exactly what they are trained to do. They just want to save people for no rewards and that’s just amazing.

“Without the RNLI, I would have lost him. My first boy. I’d have never forgiven myself. Not only that, I was in charge of the other children. I could never have carried the guilt of going on if it would have been another outcome. The guilt would have eaten me.”

‘Nobody expects to get into difficulty’

Zully is sharing her family's ordeal ahead of World Drowning Prevention Day on 25 July, hoping the experience will encourage others to take extra care on the coast this summer and help prevent similar incidents from ending in tragedy.

Chris Cousens, RNLI Water Safety Lead says: “We are incredibly grateful to Zully and her family for their courage in speaking up about their experience to ensure others are mindful of the risks. Nobody visits the coast expecting to get into difficulty.”

Zully added: “We didn’t even know who these rescuers were before, but I’d urge people to support them. They do what they do even thinking once about their own lives... what an incredible selfless act.”

For more information, go to https://www.respectthewater.com/campaigns-resources/world-drowning-prevention-day/