A MAJOR rescue operation was under way last night after a picturesque seaside village in north Cornwall was hit by a wall of water.

Three people were reported missing as dozens of residents and holidaymakers stranded on rooftops and in cars were winched to safety by seven helicopters.

About 50 vehicles were swept away and six buildings collapsed in Boscastle during the devastating torrential rains. Fifty people were trapped in their vehicles by debris and water.

Michael Mulford, spokes-man for RAF Kinloss, which was co-ordinating the military rescue effort, said hundreds more people could need air-lifting from the area.

He said: "A lot of them managed to get away to high ground in the early stages, but we have to consider the possibility we may have many hundreds - up to theoretically, 1,000 people - who may need rescuing.

"This is the biggest combined incident we have had in many, many years. It is very seldom we have more than two helicopters at one scene. To get seven is remarkable."

Two adults and a baby were rescued from a car and taken to hospital. Also among those being rescued was a kidney dialysis patient who needed lifting out of his house to get medical treatment.

Mr Mulford said: "All the way down that river bank we are picking people out of trees, we are picking them off the bank and taking them out of cars."

Power had been switched off in Boscastle for safety reasons, according to the Coastguard Agency.

Six military helicopters and one coastguard helicopter were sent to help residents and holidaymakers stranded by the rising waters. Lifeboats from Port Isaac and Bude were also sent to help.

The emergency began after about two inches of rain fell in the North Cornwall area yesterday afternoon. An estimated 3ft of water poured through the streets of Boscastle, which lies in a valley leading to the sea.

Coastguard teams evacuated people into the village hall. Some shopkeepers and residents put sandbags down in a bid to keep the water out. Others were forced to bail water out of their properties.

Coastguard Agency spokesman Mark Clark said four adults and four children had been trapped on the roof of a visitor centre in Boscastle.

Holidaymaker Wayne Grundy told Sky News how he saw parked cars being washed out to sea from Boscastle.

"The rain came down and turned the roads into rivers. Cars started coming down the high street and then out to sea. I actually saw a caravan and two cars washed over the top of a bridge. I have never seen anything like it."