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A young teenager has
died in hospital just hours after being lifted from
the sea by Greencastle Coastguard.
Robert McMullan, 15, from Coleraine was with a
friend when their dinghy capsized off Castlerock
Strand on Tuesday evening and he was swept out to
sea.
A massive air and sea search involving coastguards
from both sides of the border got underway after the
boy's pal managed to swim ashore and raise the
alarm.
Charlie Cavanagh of Greencastle Coastguard yesterday
described the tragic sequence of events.
"There were a number of units involved in the
search. The police helicopter spotted something in
the water and asked us investigate. At that stage,
the Greencastle boat recovered the youth from the
water.
"Immediately the Irish helicopter from Sligo winched
the youth and landed him at Coleraine Hospital." He
died there several hours later.
Coastguard personnel yesterday appealed to people
not to use inflatables or lilos in the sea unless
they were securely fastened to a point on the beach.
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