MARBLEHEAD — A 5-year-old girl who was stranded on a raft in the water off Preston Beach was rescued by authorities from Marblehead and Swampscott Tuesday afternoon.
Shortly before 3 p.m., police began receiving numerous emergency calls for a young child who was alone on an orange raft. The callers relayed that the child was being blown off by high winds, according to Marblehead Police.
Adults on shore and the child’s father, who was in a separate raft, tried in vain to reach the child until police from Marblehead and Swampscott and Harbormaster patrol boats from both communities responded, police said.
“With an officer on the beach vectoring the rescue boats into the area, the child was rescued unharmed and the father who was in a separate raft trying to reach her, was also picked up,” Marblehead Police said in a Facebook post.
Following the rescue, father and child were taken to the pier at the Swampscott Fish House for evaluation. Both were unharmed from the incident, police said.
In their post, Marblehead Police thanked the many bystanders who called for help and the harbormasters and their boat crews for their professionalism and rapid response.
“There are still many weeks of beach weather ahead before the end of the summer season,” Marblehead Police said. “This is a good reminder that the ocean can be an unforgiving place and things can happen quickly.”
