Coast Guard Plucks Swimmers From Sea In Dramatic Video

Dramatic video filmed from a UK Coast Guard helicopter shows stranded swimmers being winched up to safety.

The swimmers were swept out to sea off the Cornwall coast in southwest England on Sunday afternoon. Footage shows a winchman quickly descending from a helicopter as the swimmers are tossed around by the waves and high winds.

Helped by a guardsman inside the helicopter, the winchman eventually locates the pair, who are barely visible in the choppy surf, and brings one to safety.

The other swimmer is left attached to the line. The clip cuts out, but the winchman later returns down the line to rescue the other victim.

The swimmers were part of a group of five that got caught in a riptide in Holywell Bay, near Newquay, Pirate FM reports.

Three of the swimmers made it back to shore. All five were later airlifted to Royal Cornwall Hospital. Their current conditions are not known.

"It's a reminder that the sea has hidden dangers and people should definitely think twice before entering the water," UK Coast Guard spokesperson Emma Watkins said.

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