Mother and Child Nearly Swallowed by Sinking Sand Before Terrifying Beach Rescue (Video)

A terrifying moment on the Essex coast nearly turned tragic after a woman and her young daughter became trapped in deep sand and began sinking.

The frightening incident happened Tuesday afternoon along Western Esplanade in Southend-on-Sea. According to the BBC, a man named Adrian Pikula was walking with his 6-year-old daughter when he spotted the pair struggling in the sand nearby.

Surveillance footage from the area shows the young girl walking across the sand before suddenly sinking down. When her mother rushed over to help, she also became trapped, leaving both of them stuck waist-deep and screaming for help.

Pikula quickly realized the situation was serious and alerted staff at the nearby Adventure Island amusement park.

Several workers rushed to the scene to help.

According to reports, four men along with a truck driver worked together to rescue the mother and daughter using ropes. They carefully pulled the pair out of the sinking sand before the situation could get worse.

WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW:

Adventure Island later explained in a Facebook post that the sand had recently been placed in the area by the local council while work was being done as the tide was coming in.

The post said the first person to spot the women was actually a park manager, who immediately called for help from the park’s workshop team.

Staff quickly grabbed ropes and secured them around the trapped pair before pulling them to safety.

“Drawing on their training and expertise, the team acted quickly and calmly to rescue them,” the park wrote in the post, adding that another team member contacted the Coastguard during the rescue.

Fortunately, neither the mother nor the child was injured during the frightening ordeal.

In response to the incident, Southend-on-Sea City Council said it is taking the situation “extremely seriously.”

Officials announced that fencing and safety signs around the lagoon area have now been expanded and reinforced. The entire area has been closed off while work continues and safety measures are reviewed.

City officials said engineers are now examining possible solutions for the lagoon area, but warned that any long-term fixes could require planning approvals and coastal licensing.

Until the area is deemed safe, the lagoon will remain closed to the public.