Barmouth mayor Peter Bunce expressed his deepest sympathy with the boy's family. He said: "It must have been terrible for the family members who were on the beach at the time and my deepest sympathy goes out to them. "Barmouth and Gwynedd councils take beach safety very seriously indeed and there were four beach patrol officials on duty yesterday. "Unfortunately they cannot be everywhere at the same time". Mr Bunce praised all the emergency services for their quick response. He said the coastguard, lifeboat, police, paramedics all did their very best. "We have not had a similar tragedy on Barmouth's main beach for many years," he added. Coastguards had a busy day. A spokeswoman said the call-outs included three youngsters missing on the beach at Barmouth and a man in the water at Rhyl. "Police and coastguards searched the beach and the youngsters were found safe and well. The person in the water off Rhyl was able to get ashore," she said. Death toll YESTERDAY'S tragedy was the latest in a string of deaths and serious injuries in the waters of North Wales. Just a week ago, popular community beat bobby PC Steven Nesfield died as he was towed on a wakeboard behind a jetski off Dinas Dinlle near Caernarfon. And on Saturday 20-year-old Ben Roberts from Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester, died after getting into difficulties in Llyn Gwynant near Beddgelert. A search was still under way last night for a 22-year-old man feared drowned in the River Dee at Llangollen. In another incident, a woman was seriously injured by propeller blades after she fell off a boat near Llanddwyn island, Anglesey. Rescuers took several others to hospital after they were injured in incidents at Shell island near Harlech and in Llandudno.
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