A NINE-YEAR-OLD girl was plucked to safety as she nearly drowned in massive waves off the Cornwall coast.

The Warrington youngster was paddling in knee-deep water when she was knocked off her feet by a freak surge.

She was then carried 40ft out to sea and was floundering in the waves when a lifeguard rushed to her rescue.

RNLI man John Craze raced into action after seeing the family of the girl - known only as Hannah - screaming for help on the beach.

By the time he reached the schoolgirl she was submerged and struggling to get her head above water.

Thelifeguard picked her up and carried her back to the beach.

He said today: "When I got to her, I grabbed her hand then scooped her up onto the board with me.

"She was very petite, so she was easy to lift."

RNLI senior lifeguard Darren Earl watched the drama unfold from the beach.

He said: "It was a potentially fatal situation and John's quick reactions prevented a very different outcome.

"The rescue was so fast it probably only lasted about two minutes, but it was two minutes that saved that little girl's life."

Porthtowan, a 30-minute drive from St Ives and Newquay, is well known for its large sandy beach bordered by rockpools, and was a popular seaside resort in Victorian and Edwardian times.

It is also one of Cornwall's most renowned surfing beaches.

An RNLI spokeswoman said conditions on Tuesday evening were "difficult" as the high tide was combined with a spring tide and a swell coming in from the Atlantic creating surf more than 6ft high.

She said: "The water gets very deep very quickly due to the steeply sloping beach.

"The family were paddling in knee-deep water when aset of waves surged in, in quick succession. Thewater level rose very quickly and knocked the little girl off her feet. The water then rushed back out to sea and sucked her with it.

"The lifeguard grabbed his rescue board and fought through the surf to reach the girl, who was about 15 metres away from the shore in very deep water."

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