(Newser) – What a day at the beach: A family was "apparently settling in" on the sand when their 10-month-old baby floated out to sea on a flotation device, the Telegraph reports. The family and other beach-goers watched "with horror," the paper says, as strong currents and winds carried out little Melda Ilgin about a half-mile off the shore of western Turkey. Some people tried rescuing her, but gave up and called in the coast guard—whose divers jumped into the water and rescued Melda. The Guardian reports that dozens of people on the scene gave coast guard officers a round of applause as they handed Melda back to her parents, who offered the girl water and left the beach.

According to local media, the parents simply forgot Melda was in the water as they enjoyed their holiday in the town of Küçükkuyu, in Turkey's Çanakkale province. Melda was said to be drifting toward the island of Lesbos, about 12 miles south-west of Küçükkuyu, when the coast guard came to the rescue. See video of the rescue at the BBC. (Or read about a Detroit EMT allegedly refusing to help a dying baby.)

