Boy survives 20 minutes under water
A 12-year-old boy who spent as long as 20 minutes submerged after being caught in a Pacific Ocean riptide has recovered enough in hospital to speak to his parents.
Charles “Dale” Ostrander, seen being carried from the surf by Doug Knutzen, with rescue swimmer Eddie Mendez, left, was swept away, out of the reach of other beach-goers who went to help him.
Members of the church group prayed and wept, believing him to have died and senior rescuers also believed it was too late to save him but medics began resuscitation and he began breathing again. Doctors were able to remove breathing tubes five days later.
Ostrander was swimming in the waters off the Washington coast. First on the scene was 12-year-old Nicole Kissel, who heard Ostrander’s cries and tried to keep them both afloat using her surfboard.