A young girl was taken to hospital last night after she was swept into the Moray Firth.
The youngster – said to be 11-years-old – is understood to have swallowed sea water during the incident – which triggered a major operation by the emergency services.
An RAF search and rescue helicopter was sent to Lossiemouth’s east beach, along with police and coastguard teams, but rescuers said two adults – possibly the girl’s parents – helped bring her and two boys back to shore.
The drama unfolded just 48 hours after two children were saved from drowning when they were caught in strong currents off Fraserburgh.
Last night, police issued a warning about the dangers of swimming in the sea, saying the previous incident would “definitely” have ended in tragedy had it not been for the swift actions of the local lifeboat team.
A spokesman said the three youngsters who got into difficulty off Lossiemouth were “in shock” yesterday afternoon.
At least one of the boys is believed to be related to the injured girl.
RAF Lossiemouth’s REescue-137 helicopter was called to the incident, along with coastguard teams from the town and Burghead.
A winchman is understood to have been lowered down to the beach, but all three children were back on land by the time rescue teams arrived.
A police spokesman said: “Just before 4.45pm the ambulance requested assistance from us.
“The original call was that there were two males in the water at East Beach Lossiemouth, so we deployed, as did the coastguard and a search and rescue helicopter from Lossiemouth.
“There were three people in the water, one was an 11-year-old female. They are just in shock it would appear. The young female has been taken to Doctor Gray’s Hospital, she has swallowed water.”
An ambulance spokesman said the girl was taken to the Elgin hospital “as a precaution”.
He added: “The girl was out of the water by the time we arrived.”
An Aberdeen Coastguard spokesman said: “A member of the public alerted us. The original report was two people, but it looks like there was only one that was actually in trouble.”
The Fraserburgh incident happened around 4.30pm on Wednesday, when Isla Sim, 13, and Scott MacLean, 12, were dragged 200ft out to sea by the current off the town’s beach, opposite Tiger Hill.
The local RNLI crew went to their aid and managed to pull Isla on board before volunteer John Chalmers leaps into the icy waters to save Scott.
Both children’s body temperatures were so low after 20 minutes in the sea that emergency crews were unable to take a reading, while Scott had swallowed so much water his rescuers feared he would not survive.
However, after a night in the Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital, the pair returned to Fraserburgh’s RNLI station on Thursday for an emotional reunion with their heroes.
Sergeant Sam Buchan, of Fraserburgh community policing team, said the incidents this week should serve as a warning to anyone else tempted to cool off in the sea during the school holidays.
“If it was not for the lifeboat getting to the scene so quickly then this incident would have most definitely resulted in tragic consequences, as the children were just dipping below the water and were extremely cold.
“Although in this case the outcome was positive, I cannot stress enough to local residents the importance of being extra cautious when it comes to paddling or swimming in the sea – especially if we are in a period of better weather.
“This is especially important during the school holidays when more children will be playing at the beach and it can be tempting for people to go in the water to cool down, but they have to be aware of the dangers and the risks in doing so.
“It is critical to always check the tidal conditions when swimming in the sea, as the weather on scene was fine, but the hidden danger of strong currents is something the local residents should be aware of.”