Father-of-seven died while saving three of his children from drowning in the waters of Barmouth Beach.
Jonathan Stevens, 36, sacrificed his life to protect his children when they began to struggle in the water. The tragic incident occurred in Barmouth Beach on Sunday, August 2, Mirror reveals.
Mr. Stevens was enjoying the Sunday at Barmouth Beach, Wales, with his family. Suddenly, around noon, the children began to struggle in the water, as they were caught in the riptide. The hero dad started pulling them to safety as soon as he saw them struggling. Sadly, he didn’t manage to save himself.
Image credits: Laura Burford
Laura Burford, 34, Mr. Stevens’ heartbroken partner, said the father of her children had died a hero, “saving his kids”. In a statement to North Wales Live, Ms. Burford said:
“I am absolutely devastated to say that I have lost the complete love of my life. All seven of his beautiful kids have lost their dad. He died saving his kids. There are no words to describe the pain. I will always be grateful to (him) for bringing our babies back.
I love him, always have, and always will.”
The father-of-seven died in the emergency helicopter on the way to the hospital.
A spokesman for North Wales Police confirmed:
“Police and the Coastguard were called at 1.58pm on Sunday to a report that a man had got into difficulty in the sea in Barmouth. The man was taken by air ambulance to Ysbyty Gwynedd, where he tragically died.”
Previously, at 1:31 pm, HM Coastguard received an emergency call reporting people struggling in the waters of Barmouth Beach. They sent a rescue team to the scene. A Coastguard spokesman said:
“Barmouth harbour master and the Coastguard rescue helicopter and helimed also attended. A male casualty was recovered from the water and transferred to Ysbyty Gwynedd in a serious condition.”
Welsh Ambulance Service was also informed of the case. They were called at 1:39 pm about people being caught in a riptide.
“We sent two rapid response cars and two emergency ambulances to the scene where crews were also supported by a Wales Air Ambulance and a search and rescue helicopter.”
They took the patients to Ysbyty Gwynedd. Unfortunately, Mr. Stevens died on the way to the hospital.
Mel Plowman, a dear friend of the family, has established a GoFundMe page to support Ms. Burford and her children in these difficult times. The page describes Mr. Stevens as a “true hero who sadly lost his life whilst saving his children”.
