Yesterday afternoon, August 26th, a 74-year-old man drowned at Torrevieja’s La Mata beach. The Lithuanian swimmer was in the water with some friends at 8:02 p.m. at the southern end of the beach, facing Avenida del Agua. His friends saw that he was having trouble staying afloat and helped him to shore with the help of the lifeguard service.
A lifeguard, along with a Local Police and Guardia Civil officers, started CPR on the swimmer because they could still feel their heart beating. At first, the ambulance support service showed up. Then, advanced CPR skills were taught by SAMU medical staff who were sent to the area. Finally, they tried for more than thirty minutes but he still wouldn’t respond.
The person drowned two minutes after Eulen, the company that offers this daily lifeguard service, shut down for the night. During the busy season on this beach, they close at 8 p.m.
Lifeguards who were putting away their watchtower a few meters away from where the emergency was happening helped the swimmer.
Flag in yellow
The yellow flag, which means “extreme caution” because of bad weather, had been flying along this stretch of coastline all day Tuesday. Even though it was Monday and there was a red flag, the water in this open beach area still had big waves.
In this area, the waves stayed pretty strong. This area is also known for the strong undertow that happens when it’s windy.
This beach, which is right next to Cabo Cervera, is always very busy. A lot of people were swimming this evening after the sun went down.
The staff of the Institute of Forensic Medicine took the body away at quarter to eleven in the evening.
This is the fourth death on the beaches of Torrevieja this season
This is the fourth person to die while swimming on the beaches of Torrevieja this year. On May 31st, a man drowned at Los Náugrafos beach.
A bather aged 70 died in another drowning accident at Cura beach on June 10th.
At the same time, on August 7th, rescue workers found the dead body of a guy in the coves of Torrevieja.
People over 65
A male swimmer over the age of seventy has been involved in many of the recent drownings on the coast of Torrevieja and other coastal municipalities. These swimmers usually get sick in the water and are unable to get back on their feet, even when the water conditions are not unsafe for swimming.
Author: Derek Appleton
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