Woman hurt at beach

Auckland: A woman was flown to hospital in a serious condition after a group of swimmers got in trouble at Bethells Beach on Auckland’s West Coast yesterday.

The incident was the sixth major callout in six days for the local lifeguards — prompting a warning to Aucklanders to be careful when out on beaches, especially on the West Coast, this weekend.

At 12.14pm, the Bethells Emergency Callout Squad was alerted to three people being swept out to sea.

Three people — a 45yearold woman, a 16yearold girl and a 14yearold boy — were back on shore when lifeguards arrived 15 minutes after the call, but the woman and boy were losing consciousness and showing signs of exhaustion and shock. — RNZ