Heroic man dies trying to save three children from riptide

A search and rescue operation was launched on Sunday after the man jumped into the water to save his children.

A family's day at the beach ended in tragedy on Sunday, August 2. Jonathan Stevens, also known as Joff, was with his children at Barmouth Beach in Gwynedd, Wales. Stevens' three children got into trouble in the water after getting caught in a riptide. The father jumped in to rescue the children but failed to return to shore. A rescue operation was launched to bring the father and children back to shore. Stevens was taken to a hospital after the ordeal where he failed to recover. His heartbroken partner, Laura Burford, paid tribute.

In the afternoon just after 1:30 pm, the father from Telford got into difficulty in the water off Barmouth Beach. He had gone into the water when his three young children aged between 10 and 12 were caught in a riptide. Not waiting for help to arrive, Stevens attempted to save his children. Emergency services were notified of the incident.

Soon after Stevens had entered the waters, a massive search and rescue operation was launched to recover the victims. Between 1:30 and 2 pm, the police and coast guard responded to the emergency call. The rescue team found the three children and their father. After being pulled to shore, Stevens received CPR before being flown to Ysbyty Gwynedd.

Even though Stevens received emergency medical attention at the hospital he failed to recover from the incident. His children were also taken to the hospital. According to The Sun, two of the children also received medical attention at the hospital. However, none of the children was seriously injured.

On the day of the incident, Burford wrote a panicked post on Facebook asking for help. She wrote that her partner was receiving CPR after rescuing their children and she needed help as her children were alone in Barmouth. Buford was in Telford when the incident took place. Stevens' partner later wrote a tribute post to the brave man stating how grateful she was that he saved the lives of their children.

The 36-year-old plasterer leaves behind seven children.