Girl, six, who plunged more than 100ft down a waterfall describes how she ‘sunk to the bottom and saw a fish’ in a terrifying ordeal
- Phoebe washed over the top of Ceunant Mawr waterfall near Llanberis, Wales
- She miraculously escaped with only a few cuts and bruises after her horror fall
- Schoolgirl said she was ‘only a little bit scared’ after she ‘sunk to the bottom’
A six-year-old girl who plunged more than 100ft down a waterfall has described how she ‘fell in, sunk to the bottom and saw a fish’ in a terrifying ordeal.
The child – named only as Phoebe – miraculously escaped with just cuts and bruises after being washed over the top of Ceunant Mawr waterfall near Llanberis, Wales.
Phoebe admitted she was ‘a little bit scared’ in the horror fall, during which she was pushed down by the water as she attempted to swim to safety.
Speaking after the fall, the brave schoolgirl described how she ‘fell in, sunk to the bottom and saw a fish’.
‘I was trying to swim but I couldn’t. I was still sunk down,’ she told the BBC. ‘I was scared. Only a little bit.’
The child – named only as Phoebe – miraculously escaped with just cuts and bruises after being washed over the top of Ceunant Mawr waterfall near Llanberis, Wales
Liam Bolland, Phoebe’s mother’s partner, had jumped in after Phoebe when he heard a ‘horrible, horrible scream’ from the terrified parent as she disappeared from view.
‘I was taking pictures from the viewing area when I heard a horrible, horrible scream from my partner, Phoebe’s mother,’ he said.
‘I turned, and the look of terror on her face was horrendous. She shouted “she has fallen in”. I jumped in myself, unable to see her at all beneath the bubbling white water in the top pool.’
Mr Bolland explained how he tried to reach Phoebe but was ‘pulled under too’: ‘I tried so hard to get to her, I really, really did. But I just couldn’t.’
Speaking after the fall, the brave schoolgirl (pictured) described how she ‘fell in, sunk to the bottom and saw a fish’
The rescuer then heard Phoebe surface above the water before she plummeted over the edge of the main waterfall.
Family members had called to day trippers at the bottom of the falls where Phoebe had been swept, and a ‘Good Samaritan’ managed to pull the six-year-old to safety.
Pictured: Ceunant Mawr waterfall near Llanberis, Wales
Phoebe was then rushed to Bangor’s Ysbyty Gwynedd to be checked over by medics.
She miraculously escaped her ordeal with only a few bruises and a scrape on her arm, Mr Bolland added.
The family has since returned to Ceunant Mawr waterfall to try and understand Phoebe’s fall, which was described by rescuers as ‘a genuine accident.’
Mr Bolland noted how there were ‘no life belts by the bottom pool,’ and called on the area to undergo a safety assessment.
A spokesman for Gwynedd Council explained that land adjacent to the waterfall and nearby public footpaths are not owned by the council.
He added ‘there are signs warning of potential hazards’ already in place, and urged visitors to ‘take care in this area and not enter the water.’
‘Numerous warning signs are in place in that area which is managed by the council urging members of the public not to swim or bathe in the water,’ a statement said.