Brit family hailed as 'heroes' for saving drowning cruise passengers on holiday

10 January 2024 , 14:41

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The near drowning happened near Rodney Bay Beach in St Lucia (Image: Getty Images/Westend61)

A group of British holidaymakers have been hailed as "heroes" after rushing into the sea to help rescue three women who were drowning in St Lucia.

Matt Hammond said at about 1:30pm on Monday, he, his wife, their two children, his sister-in-law, and her partner saw three women waving at them from the waves of Rodney Bay beach in St Lucia. Matt, thought to be in his early 50s, said the women were about 25m off the shore and - from where he was standing - he could see that they were in distress.

"I immediately ran into the sea, swam over to them along with my sister-in-law," he told the St Lucia Times. "One of the women was choking and ingesting a lot of water."

He said that he and his sister-in-law, who is a firefighter and drives ambulances, got hold of the woman and pulled her to shore, where his sister-in-law and his wife administered first aid.

Hammond said one of the woman, who was French, had encountered difficulty and had water in her lungs. She was also throwing up. The rescuers helped the shaken woman in her 50s to recover fully. The women were said to be cruise ship passengers who were on a trip to the island.

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Matt and his family have been praised by members of the local community for rescuing the lady and her two friends before the situation could have turned a lot worse. A resident from nearby Reduit said: "What we have here is a hero who did his very best to help save the lives of these people. This man from England is very brave and deserves a medal. Perhaps the King Of England should give all of them medals as what they did is extraordinary." She added: "The community here is very proud of Matt and his family."

Another resident said: "We are opening the new year with good news and positive vibes. That is exactly the news that this island deserves. Matt is a hero as well as his lovely family from England."

Colin Maximin