Man who died trying to save kids on beach told wife he would 'be back in a bit'

Two men, identified as Wayne Taylor and Ian Pascoe, died while attempting to rescue two children who were struggling in the water

NEED TO KNOW

• Two men, identified as Wayne Taylor and Ian Pascoe, died while rescuing children struggling to swim at Seaton Carew beach in England on July 12
• The children were ultimately brought back to shore by other good Samaritans and were taken to the hospital uninjured
• Following the incident, several people have called for more lifeguards to patrol local beaches during the busy summer months

The two men who died trying to save two children struggling to swim off the coast of England have been identified.

Dad Wayne Taylor, 30, and grandfather Ian Pascoe, 62, were identified as the men who lost their lives in the rescue at Seaton Carew beach on Sunday, July 12, according to local outlets Gazette Live, ITV and BBC. 

Cleveland Police in the U.K. told the outlets that officers were called onto the scene at around 3:45 p.m. local time, after receiving an emergency call about two children having difficulty in the water.

The two children made it to shore and were transported to a nearby hospital as a precaution. The two children did not sustain any injuries in the incident, according to ITV. 

Emergency services were notified that two men entered the water to try to help, but did not return to the shore. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) eventually brought Taylor and Pascoe out of the water and they were given medical treatment. 

However, they were declared deceased a short time later, the outlets reported.

Pascoe’s son, Dan, told Gazette Live that his father and mother had been walking along the beach when they noticed two children struggling in the water, and Pascoe didn’t hesitate to jump in to help. 

“He passed his phone to my mum and said, ‘Here, hold this for me, I will be back in a bit.’ He was never one to hold back; he would never witness, he would always act — and he went in to try and save them,” Dan said.

“I know that he would do it 10 times over if he thought that he was going to save a child’s life. And that’s why we are so proud of him,” he added.

Dan also told the outlet the two children in peril were Taylor’s kids. He shared, “We are so happy that the children who were in difficulty survived, and so sad that they lost their dad.”

Two additional men, including one identified as Davey Short, jumped into the water and managed to get the kids to safety, according to ITV.

“I just wanted to get out there to help the little boy what was screaming, ‘Help.’ I just told him to swim towards me, ‘Keep swimming towards us.’ I managed to get to him and got him out,” he recalled. “I’m no hero, I just did what any man would do — or any dad, and I would do it again today if I had to.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Following the incident, a petition that called for lifeguards to patrol beaches along Hartlepool, including Seaton Carew beach where the incident happened, in the summer passed 2,500 signatures in under 48 hours, ITV reported. 

Dan seconded the motion for more ocean safety along the England shores telling BBC, “Why does it take brave heroes such as my dad, Wayne and Dave Short... to put themselves in mortal danger for an obvious and all too common occurrence?”

Read the original article on People