A 10-month-old baby has been rescued by the coastguard after drifting more than half a mile off the Turkish coast in a small inflatable, according to reports.
Local media said that the child’s parents forgot she was in the water as the family enjoyed a day on the beach during their holiday.
Melda Ilgin’s parents sat her in the small yellow inflatable and placed her in the water near to them, the BGN News site reported. While they were distracted, strong winds and currents began to pull the child out to sea.
The site said that people on the beach made several attempts to rescue Melda once they realised what was happening, but failed and had to call the coastguard.
The child had reportedly drifted more than half a mile off the western Turkish shore before the boat reached her. Divers jumped into the water to rescue Melda, and her parents were reunited with their daughter after the ordeal.
They were holidaying in the town of Küçükkuyu, in Turkey’s Çanakkale province. Melda was reportedly drifting towards the Greek island of Lesbos, around 12 miles to the south-west of the town, when she was rescued.
According to the Hürriyet news network, the coastguard’s efforts were watched by a crowd of people on the shore, who gave the child’s rescuers a round of applause as they returned to land.
