Family in speedboat carnage: Bank Holiday crowds see father and daughter, 8, killed and four others injured as out-of-control craft hurls them into sea



Incident happened in the Camel Estuary off Padstow in North Cornwall

Rescue teams frantically tried to save people who had been mown down

All those injured are believed to be from the same family

Survivors were woman, 39, a boy, aged four, and two girls, 10 and 12

Horrified witness says : 'The water was red, it was terrible'

A father and daughter were killed and four other members of their family seriously injured when their speedboat ran out of control yesterday.

The group, including a four-year-old boy, were thrown from the boat when it flipped over.

Hundreds of holidaymakers who had been enjoying the Bank Holiday sunshine on the Camel Estuary near Padstow watched in horror as the boat raced round in circles, its propeller slashing the helpless victims and turning the water 'red with blood'.

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Aftermath: An amateur video showing the empty speedboat out of control at Padstow shortly after the fatal incident Danger: The boat was completely out of control following the incident in Padstow, Cornwall, on Bank Holiday Sunday Bravery: The video, filmed from the shore, shows Mr Toogood jumping on to the speedboat

Police at the scene of a boat crash at Padstow harbour where a father and daughter died

The 51-year-old father and his eight-year-old daughter were slain in the horrific incident

Police said the boat will be subject to examination and other lines of enquires are being followed Witnesses said a man heroically leapt on to the runaway boat from another craft in an attempt to prevent more people being hit. Last night Devon and Cornwall police confirmed that the two who died were a 51-year-old man and his daughter aged eight. Detective Sergeant James Colwell said: 'The information is suggesting at the moment that they are not local to the area and are here on holiday, renting a holiday home. Unfortunately the family members that were taken to hospital do have life-changing injuries.' The survivors were flown to Derriford hospital in Plymouth. They were a 39-year-old woman, a four-year-old boy and two girls aged 10 and 12.

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Next Skipper and crew scattering friend's ashes are rescued as... British sailor missing in the Pacific is Japan-based company... Share this article Share It is believed that the boat, named Milly, is a rigid inflatable boat or RIB privately owned by the family. Speedboats are common sights around the harbour area in the popular tourist destination, nicknamed 'Padstein' because it is home of celebrity chef Rick Stein. Emergency services were scrambled after they received a large number of calls from members of the public who had been standing on the packed harbourside when they saw the 3.50pm yesterday afternoon. Three RNLI lifeboats were sent to the scene as well as search and rescue helicopters from RNAS Culdrose and RMB Chievenor. Recovered: Police remove the boat to be examined as an investigation was launched into the incident Witnesses said a man heroically leapt on to the runaway boat from another craft in an attempt to prevent more people being hit The rescue helicopter carrying survivors to Derriford Hospital, Plymouth

The emergency services near the scene in Padstow, Cornwall, where two people have died in a boat accident

This image from the Padstow Webcam shows police and ambulance services on the quayside following the incident

The speedboat which flipped over near Padstow, Cornwall, at about 4pm yesterday Witnesses described the efforts of the unidentified man to bring the boat under control and also praised the lifeboatmen. Maria Chase wrote on Facebook: 'We were down in Padstow today and saw the tragedy and saw a hero who saved more lives by jumping on to an out-of-control speedboat from another boat. 'The water was red, it was terrible. That boat most have hit those poor people at a terrifying speed.'

Witness 'He deserves a medal, whoever he was.' Another, Charlotte Jacobs, wrote to the RNLI on Twitter: 'We witnessed incredible bravery in Padstow today during the tragic accident that unfolded. The men involved deserve medals.' Other witnesses told of the horror of seeing the runaway boat locked into a circling pattern. One woman who did not want to be named said: 'I saw a helicopter come over us and rushed over to see the commotion and saw two ambulances on the beach, they were working on two people who looked in a lot of trouble. 'The water was red, it was terrible. That boat most have hit those poor people at a terrifying speed.'

A runaway speedboat struck a boat in in Padstow harbour, killing two and injuring four others Search and rescue: Boats in the harbour at Padstow fishing village Cornwall (file picture)

Padstow resident Martin Jenkins, 63, said: 'I heard the helicopter and went over to the estuary and saw the ambulance crews working on a couple of people.

'It was all very frantic. The emergency services acted pretty quickly and everyone was ushered away so we couldn't see any more, it was probably for our own good because it looked a mess, it was pretty nasty.

'It looked terrible, the water was filled with blood like a horror film.'

Saskia Wilce who works on the harbourside wrote on Twitter: 'So horrible seeing the injured people today. The motor thing went funny and flipped the boat so everyone flew out and it started circling them all then went through them.'

Natalie Dawe added that she believed the boat had come from nearby Rock.

Jo Rawlings of the Maritime and Coastguard agency said: 'Falmouth Coastguard was first contacted at 15.48 this afternoon reporting that six people had been thrown from a speedboat approximately half a mile off Padstow in the Camel Estuary.

'It was reported by members of the public that the boat was out of control and had struck a number of those in the water.

'The RNLI lifeboats from Rock and Padstow along with the search and rescue helicopters from RNAS Culdrose and RMB Chivenor were sent to the scene. St Merryn, Newquay and Polzeath Coastguard Rescue Teams have also been involved.

'It is a popular destination and, with the weather being quite pleasant, it was fairly busy.'

Last night the normally bustling harbour was cordoned off by police.

A spokesman for official tourist body Visit Cornwall said: 'Our thoughts are with the injured and bereaved involved in the tragic speed boat accident at Padstow harbour this afternoon.'