Girls stranded on island rescued after being 'blown out to sea' near Mallaig

Two children stranded on an island after being “blown out to sea” on a paddleboard have been rescued by lifeboat.

The girls, aged 11 and 12, managed to steer onto an uninhabited island on Scotland’s west coast but were left stranded after getting into difficulty at about 3.45pm on Tuesday afternoon.

It was the second call out of the day for the volunteers from the Kyle of Lochalsh RNLI.

The UK Coastguard received a 999 call while pagers sounded for the RNLI crew at around 3.45pm on Tuesday, with the children located by a helicopter stranded on an island.

An attempt to airlift the children was called-off as the helicopter was running low on fuel and the lifeboat was tasked with rescuing the casualties.

The girls were transported back to their parents – who were said to be “relieved” – on the mainland at Traigh.

The call came hours after crews from the Kyle unit assisted a broken down vessel which had lost power in the mouth of Loch Carron and was drifting towards the rocks.

Speaking of the incidents, Jonathon MacKinnon, helm for Kyle RNLI on the second callout said: “Yesterday was a busy day for our crews.

“We were out in the morning to a broken down vessel, and then again less than five hours later to the paddleboarders.

“The two children had gotten a bit of a fright and their parents were relieved to get them back safe and sound.

“We have to thank our crews and their employers, who let them drop everything at a moments notice and respond when the pager sounds.”

A spokesperson for HM Coastguard said: “On July 9, a concerned member of the public called 999 and reported to HM Coastguard that two children on a paddleboard were stranded on an island off Arisaig.

“The Coastguard rescue team from Mallaig was sent as well as a search and rescue helicopter, the RNLI lifeboat from Mallaig and a local vessel was asked to assist.

“The children were rescued by the lifeboat and were returned to their family, safe and well.”