A 10-month old baby left beachgoers in the western coast of Turkey in helpless terror as she swiftly floated out to open sea aboard a yellow inflatable crib. The unsuspecting parents were enjoying their time sunbathing in the beach located near the town of Kucukkuyo. They apparently forgot that they have left little Melda Ilgin in the water. She was floating until the strong northern wind accelerated her speed further. The parents were "not aware of what had happened until other sunbathers at the beach warned them," according to BBC News. In all the time that the terrified parents watched the yellow inflatable drift away, they were not even sure if the baby was in it. The wind began carrying Ilgin toward the direction of the Greek island of Lesbos and some people in the crowd tried to reach the crib, but failed, according to The Examiner.
The Turkish coast guard was called in to help and quickly came to the scene. The baby was only snatched from danger, however, after floating for almost a kilometer into the Aegean Sea. Rescuers were amazed that she was unaware of her predicament and was still peacefully sitting atop the crib when she was found, The Inquisitr reported. In footage that captured the coast guard rescue, a Turkish officer was shown jumping into the water to stay with the toddler until she was hoisted into safety. She was reunited with her parents at the Canakkale, in a port located northwest of Turkey. There are still no reports that reveal her health condition or whether she suffered from some form of trauma from the incident. However, pictures taken of the family as they went home showed that she appeared to be unharmed.
Authorities have yet to release a statement whether the parents of the baby will be charged for endangering the life of their child out of negligence.
