Padstow is a fishing village with an artificial harbour (cement walls) inland from the estuary of the Camel River. It is actually located a few kilometres up from the mouth of the river, but the estuary is still quite wide up to, and beyond Padstow. It is an extremely popular venue for water activies - sailing, boating, etc. On the other side of the estuary there is the village of The Rock, and there is a regular passenger ferry between the two towns. In addition, tour operators conduct speedboat cruises between the two towns and around the estuary and up river.
On the Padstow side of the estuary, you can walk out on a wide headland towards the ocean. The well-formed walking track runs along the side of a hill, which follows the estuary/river. You can also walk over the hill, across open green fields, to the next bay along the coast.
I was walking along the track out to the ocean. Val had gone for a look over the top of the hill towards the next bay along the coast. Walking along the track, I was just watching the boating activity in the estuary when one inflatable-type boat with an outboard motor, carrying several people, came along the estuary towards the sea. Nothing untoward, it was just going a little faster than the other tourist cruising speed boats.
Suddenly, the inflatable made a sudden turn to the right, then lurched from side to side as it (tried to?) turned back, then lurched the other way. The occupants of the boat were ejected, into the water. Some were even flung into the air, they didn't just fall over the side.
My first thoughts that it was all part of a "fun" ride, the movement of the swerving boat was similar to what you see jet boats do. Then the boat started circling the people in the water. Again, probably part of the "fun", but it seemed to be getting a bit silly and dangerous.
A couple of the people started to swim towards shore, and the circling boat appeared to almost hit them (as it turned out, there was no "almost" about it).
It wasn't until several minutes later that I realised there was no-one in the boat! It wasn't a fun ride, something had gone wrong. At the same time, I thought I noticed a dark discolouration of the water aroung one of the people. Val said she noticed it too, but we later admitted a reluctance to comment, just in case it was imagination. It really was blood.
All the time various rescue vessels had arrived, a couple of canoists/ski board riders had pulled people from the water. The harbour rescue lifeboats from both Padstow and The Rock were there, as well as 2 naval rescue helicopters and an air ambulance rescue.
One of the Padstow harbour tourist speed boats had also returned, empty, to assist.
Unconnected with these events, and after the "rescue" boats had returned to Padstow harbour, four stand-up board riders came up the estuary and paddled across to the beach in the estuary at The Rock on the other side. Next thing, one of the naval rescue helicopters landed on that beach and I noticed the board riders looking at something lying just below the water line. Two people jumped out of the 'copter and ran down to the object. A few minutes later, 2 people carried a long brightly-coloured bag out to one of the inflatable harbour rescue boats, which then sped off back to Padstow Harbour.
What that was all about, we're not sure.
When we got back to the harbour, ambulances took 2 people from the tourist speed boat, on stretchers.
Tragically, 2 people died - a 51yo senior executive from BSkyB television and his 8yo daughter. His wife and another child have suffered what police described as "life-changing" leg injuries. Two other children are in a satisfactory condition.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2320503/Nick-Milligan-BSkyB-executive-killed-Cornwall-speedboat-tragedy-died-beauty-spot-loved-life.html
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