Porthcawl sea rescue for two children and six adults
Two children have been rescued after being swept out to sea at the south Wales resort of Porthcawl.
Six adults were also helped to safety by the Porthcawl Lifeboat crew, after Swansea Coastguard raised the alarm at about 1500 BST on Monday.
Several people were treated for possible hypothermia and one for water in the lungs, and taken to hospital.
The RNLI called it an "extremely serious incident" which could have turned out much worse.
Porthcawl senior helmsman Tim Morgan said there were six "would-be rescuers", including three surfers.
A 10-year-old boy was drifting out of his depth, and his older sister got into difficulties when she went to call him back, according to the RNLI.
Their mother ran to help, joined by two men who saw what was happening.
The RNLI said they included David Gibson, from Pencoed, who returned to shore after feeling the strength of the current. He picked up an inflatable dinghy and ran across the beach to cut the distance he would have to paddle out.
The three surfers, named by the RNLI as David Sutton and James French, both 19 and from Barry, and Wes Markham, 20, from Rumney, Cardiff also joined in.
They used their surf boards to try to get the children and other adults out of the sea, which remained very cold, despite the weather.
Phillip Massen, Porthcawl RNLI lifeboat operations manager, said: "This was an extremely serious incident that could so easily have resulted with a far more serious outcome".
Shortly afterwards, the lifeboat was called to two more incidents which ended successfully - searches for a man who fell from the breakwater, and for a missing eight-year-old.