Young siblings playing in the water at a beach on Jeju Island were swept away by the current Saturday, but were rescued from the water by nearby civilian divers working for the Coast Guard.
The incident occurred at around 4:50 p.m. in waters off Sinheung Beach in Jeju City, according to the Jeju regional headquarters of the Korea Coast Guard. The youngest boy had gone into deeper water trying to retrieve a ball, and his three older siblings, who went to rescue him, were unable to escape.
Two nearby divers reacted quickly and went to save all four of the children. One diver used a jet ski to rescue two of them while the other diver jumped into the water to save a third. The fourth child managed to climb out of the water alone.
Two of the children had trouble breathing and were taken to a hospital, but they did not sustain any serious injuries.
The two rescuers were water sports instructors who also volunteer as members of the Coast Guard's rescue team.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
