Anglesey beach rescue: Man still critically ill as another dies
A man remains critically ill after being pulled from the sea off Anglesey in an incident that claimed another man's life.
The alarm was raised at Rhosneigr at 14:50 BST on Friday when there were reports of three people in difficulty.
Two casualties, including the man who died, were airlifted to hospital by helicopter while a third was taken by ambulance.
Rescuers believe the dead man may have been trying to help the other two.
Alf Pritchard from the RNLI at nearby Trearddur Bay said they launched their Atlantic 85 class inshore boat just before 15:00 to make their way around the headland to Traeth Llydan.
"The weather conditions were particularly bad in this area - there was Force Seven - 30mph gusting winds," he explained.
"The moment we rounded the headland we got the full force of the wind and the sea.
"It meant the boat and the volunteer crew took a pounding on the west coast of Anglesey until they got there."
Mr Pritchard said the RNLI team understood that initially one person had got into difficulty in the sea, and then two others had entered the water to help him.
Two of the casualties were airlifted from the sea by a helicopter from 22 Squadron search and rescue based at nearby RAF Valley.
They were flown to Ysbyty Gwynedd hospital in Bangor, where one of the men was pronounced dead.
The second person airlifted to hospital is still critically ill.
The RNLI crew managed to pull the last casualty to safety in a dangerous operation.
"The third person was actually on the rocks and when we got close to him we could see that he had leg injuries," said Mr Pritchard.
"Presumably he had clambered onto the rocks or had been washed onto the rocks.
"One of the crew then swam to the casualty on the rocks. The helmsman took the lifeboat in and put it onto the rocks."
The boat - officially named by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2011 - had to be taken out of operation after being damaged in the rescue.
It is now undergoing repairs.
North Wales Police say they have ruled out any suspicious circumstances in the incident.
"Police inquiries are on-going in a bid to establish the full circumstances of the incident and are working with our colleagues in other agencies," said a spokesperson in a statement.
The coroner has also been informed of the death.