Drone rescues swimmers in Australia in world first!

• The rescue took just 70 seconds.

A drone rescued two swimmers off an Australian beach on Thursday, a world first for the fast-developing technology that seems perfectly suited to saving lives at sea, authorities said.The rescue took place as life savers at Lennox Head, a beach popular with surfers south of the city of Brisbane, were preparing for a training session on using drones to pull swimmers to safety.

The practice turned into a real rescue when someone noticed that two men swimming outside safety flags were in trouble in a three-metre (10-foot) swell, the government said in a statement.

Lifeguards launched the drone, steered it towards the swimmers and dropped a "rescue pod" into the water, where it expanded so the swimmers could grab it and swim to shore.

"Never before has a drone fitted with a flotation device been used to rescue swimmers like this," said John Barilaro, the deputy premier of New South Wales state.