Three feared drowned as deluge sweeps them off their paddleboards
THREE people were feared to have drowned and another was fighting for life last night after they were swept off their paddleboards when a sudden storm turned a flooded river into a torrent.
The three, part of an organised outing, had been in the water only minutes when they were hit by a deluge of rushing water as they paddled near a weir on the swollen river in Pembrokeshire.
They were swept from their boards and seen ‘in distress’ in the River Cleddau, near the town centre of Haverfordwest.
A huge rescue operation involving four helicopters, a lifeboat, firefighters and police was launched.
According to local reports, one paddleboarder was in intensive care in hospital last night. Five more people in the expedition survived but were said to be in shock.
A witness said: ‘I heard they recovered a body and a young woman was pulled out of the river and she wasn’t looking too good.
‘They are still searching for a third person who was swept down the river.’
The paddleboarders were well equipped and in wetsuits when they entered the water yesterday morning, but locals said river conditions were treacherous because of high rainfall in recent days.
The witness said: ‘They were just below the weir when they were hit by a flash flood which came from nowhere. It was raining hard at the time and the river levels are quite high because of the bad weather we’ve had this week.
‘There are two air ambulances here along with police and coastguard helicopters. It’s a major operation, but they seem to be concentrating their effort downriver now, looking for the missing man.’
The casualties were taken to Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest. It is understood the paddleboarders were from south-east Wales and were visiting the area on an adventure trip.
Dyfed-Powys Police asked pedestrians and motorists to avoid the area while the rescue operation was under way. A spokesman said: ‘A multi-agency search is taking place on the River Cleddau in Haverfordwest following reports of people in distress in the water.’
The Environment Agency warned householders in many areas to expect further dangerous floods, following almost 16in of rain that fell in north-west England last week. North Wales Police closed a road in Nefyn, Gwynedd, yesterday after severe weather conditions caused a landslide.The British Geological Survey said the area was a ‘subsidence hazard zone’.
The Environment Agency issued 12 flood warnings and 51 flood alerts in North and south-west England last night.
Locals in the Lake District reported raw sewage erupting into the streets, while residents in Cumbria were warned of several sites where sewage was being ejected.
Since Wednesday, 400mm of rain – nearly 16in – has fallen in Cumbria, which typically sees an average of only 160mm, or 6in, during October.
About 40 homes were flooded and evacuated in the area on Friday. Two tourists and their dog had to be rescued by Cockermouth Mountain Rescue after they became trapped in chest-high flood water the day before.