The strong wave action and undertow could have claimed the lives of bathers on Torrenueva-Costa beaches yesterday but a human chain managed to pull them out.
The incident took place on Playa del Cañón in front of Edificio Acapulco and luckily for the struggling swimmers an off-duty National policeman, Elías I.G, and the lifeguard on duty, Norberto Monte, were there and prepared to do all that was necessary to save them.
It was 20.00h on Thursday when three swimmers could not only not get back to the beach owing to the undertow but a strong current was sweeping them towards the rocks.
A woman managed to alert the lifeguard who had been clearing up for the day. He rushed to the shoreline and saw a minor, her father and another swimmer in difficulty amongst the waves.
The thing is that a red flag had been flying to stop people going into the water for their own safety, however, many beachgoers ignored this, amongst them the three people struggling in the water, being pushed towards the rocks.
Norberto dived into the water, not even taking the time to strip off his T-shirt. He soon saw that there was not only a teenage girl in trouble, as the woman had told him, but two more swimmers with her – more than he could handle by himself.
Even so, he reached the girl and from behind grabbed hold of her and towed her back almost to the beach but he saw people on the breakwater indicating that he should bring her there so that they could reach down and pull her out. As soon as she was out of the water he headed back in for the father – he had lost sight of the other swimmer and feared the worse. Fortunately, when he reached the father, he told him that the other swimmer had been fished out by other bathers.
It was at this point that the policeman, Elías, entered into the sequence of things. He saw a group of people gathered on the shoreline and approached to see what was happening, which was when he saw that a single lifeguard was in the water with no back up.
Fortunately, Elías was a person who had practised surfboarding for years and was used to swimming in waves and knew how to judge sea conditions. He saw immediately that the people on the shoreline and those on the rocks were in danger of being engulfed and dragged into the sea so he warned them all to get back before plunging into the water to join Norberto and the father.
Between them they towed the father out further into the sea to get away from the undertow and currents, so that they could find a safe area of the beach and swim towards it.
Enter Manuel Benavides, who is a barber, and armed with a coil of line on a drum, he dived in as well but soon got as far as the line would reach and shouted for the rescuers to head for him, which they did. Then people gathered on the beach began to pull the line in with the father attached. The lifeguard, policeman and barber managed to reach the beach on their own steam.
Back on the beach they were received with warm gratitude and embraces.
(News: Torrenueva Costa, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia – Source: Ideal)
Facebook spanking for you, as they are owned by Meta. You could be in big do do’s.
Facebook. Messenger. WhatsApp. Instagram; they’re all mates on Meta. Social life gone, down to telephoning, texts and actually seeing people in real life. How very old fashioned!
*Gloom!*
You’re probably getting all worried about political correctness and thinking that nobody could possibly be dumb enough to take your figure of speech as literal; but I remind you that we live in a world where “Remove clothing before ironing” is a necessary label.
It’s ridiculous because everybody used to say, “you’ll be shot if they catch you doing that” or something along those lines. It’s not a literal observation. Soon you could get banned as a Nazi if you use the expression, “they be blue murder…” Bloody politically correct wazzocks!
Darren: well in that case, I hope the bastard in question is forced to dance a hornpipe jig on a scattered box of Lego pieces… 😉
@Martin – You’re not allowed to suggest that somebody be shot anymore because Americans might read it and take it for an instruction. Similarly, any physical suggestions could be an incitement to violence. You’re still allowed to devoutly hope that someone steps on Lego, though.
Well you do at times seem a little right leaning! Don’t worry I was warned too. After I described some eastern European guests as “E.E. Pikies.” That were trying to scam a chaps BMW down in Devon. Still lesson learnt. Try to be like me. Kind. Open minded and fair.
Patrick: I wrote on the mag’s facebook account that the father should be shot for taking her out or letting her go out, with a red-flag warning. Facebook classified as a “hate comment” and deleted it, giving me a warning. I would dump facebook (the bloody idiots) if it were not for the traffic it brings to the site.
Let me say, well done to the rescuers. Sadly, many time the rescuers of dogs and others, become victims themselves.
Still. Red flag means?
Stupidity and reverse Darwinism at its best example, especially with a child in tow.